Qingyun Mountain, Tongtian Peak.

  Outside the Jade Clear Palace, a large crowd of people stood densely packed. Upon closer inspection, they were all Orthodox Daoists, including Qingyun Sect's leader Daozhen True Person and Yunyi Valley's master Cloud Yi Lan, who were also among them. Behind these two individuals, other well-known figures from the Qingyun and Yunyi sects also stood in this location, looking as if they were waiting to greet someone.

  I don't know what kind of person he is, but he actually has such a big face?

  Those small sects are not counted, at this moment the important figures of Qingyunmen and Fengxianggu are all present. In Fengxianggu, Shangguan Ce, Lü Shun, second-generation disciples Li Xuan, Yan Hong and others are standing behind Yun Yiluo. Among them, Li Xuan's face is expressionless, but his complexion looks very bad, and around him, people are whispering to each other from time to time, casting glances at him, making his face even more unsightly.

  At the Qingyun Gate, Tian Naiyi, Zeng Shu Chang, Water Moon Master and Qi Huan were all present, including Xiao Yitai and other disciples standing behind Dao Xuan True Person. However, among the crowd, the most outstanding figure in Qingyun Gate in recent years, Lu Xueqi, was nowhere to be seen. Additionally, Lin Jingyu's shadow was also not visible, it is unknown whether he was again at the ancestral hall.

  The sky is high and clear, with not a cloud in sight. The mountain breeze blows gently, bringing a sense of serenity to the heart. If it weren't for the many entanglements of love, hate, and resentment in this mundane world, this place would truly be like a paradise on earth.

  Among the crowd behind him, many people were talking in low voices. Faintly audible, most of them were discussing the greatest disaster in the world today. Qingyunmen's leader, Daoxuan Zhenren, heard it and his face turned solemn, unable to help but let out a soft sigh.

  His voice was not loud, and most people around him did not notice, but Yun Yilan, the master of Fengxiang Valley, who stood at the front of the crowd with him, heard it. Turning his head, he looked at Daoxuan Zhenren and said in a low voice, "What's wrong, Brother Daoxuan?"

  Dao Xuan smiled wryly and shook his head slightly, saying: "Do you hear the whispers of our fellow Taoists behind us? Few people are optimistic."

  Yun Yi Lan smiled slightly and said, "Why must you care about them, Master Dao Xuan? Although the great calamity has already occurred and countless lives have been lost, we are now the last hope for all living beings in the world. In the face of such evil and ferocious monsters, as the leader of the world, if you lose confidence again, how can you face the eager expectations of the people?"

  Daoxuan Zhenren's face changed slightly, and a hint of sharp light flashed in his eyes as he looked deeply at Yun Yilun, but only saw that this person's face was calm and composed, seemingly without any hidden meaning. He smiled and said: "Where did Master Yun get the idea? I am unworthy and unable to live up to the four words 'Leader of the World'. This time, the beast calamity is a great disaster, poisoning all living things. As cultivators who claim to be righteous, we naturally cannot stand by and do nothing. When Tianyin Temple's Pu Hong Shangren arrives, our three sects will join forces with the heroes of the world, and die for the people, so that our cultivation is not in vain."

  Yun Yi Lan nodded and said: "Elder brother is right."

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren smiled and returned the courtesy, but in his heart, a strange feeling flashed by. The person in front of him, Yun Yi Lan, the master of Fengxiang Valley, spoke with humility and propriety, without any flaws, yet he seemed to be unable to see through this person, always feeling that this person was unfathomable.

  Just as Daoxuan Zhenren was pondering in his heart whether to find an opportunity to test Yun Yilan, and what he was thinking in his mind, the crowd suddenly stirred, and both Daoxuan Zhenren and Yun Yilan were startled. Looking down at the mountain, they saw that amidst the white clouds floating around the towering Tongtian Peak, a golden light flashed, quickly growing larger, and in an instant, it rapidly approached the summit.

  Only a golden light is seen floating, forming a blooming lotus shape, drifting upwards among the white clouds, with the sound of Sanskrit chanting echoing between heaven and earth, all sorts of majestic phenomena, making people suddenly feel a sense of reverence.

  Daoxuan Zhenren and Yun Yilan rushed forward together, the golden lotus descended, swaying and flashing for a moment, the golden light dispersed, revealing Tianyin Temple's Puhong Shangren as the leader of dozens of Buddhist monks. The leader, Puhong Shangren, looked just like he did in his youth, with a compassionate and peaceful appearance, wearing crimson and gold monk robes, holding a string of dark sandalwood prayer beads in his hand, with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

  Behind him stood his junior fellow, Pufang, who was tall and held a "Floating Bowl", followed by more than a dozen senior monks from Tianyin Temple and second-generation disciples, including Faxiang and Fashan, who were already famous Buddhist disciples.

  Daoxuan Zhenren walked forward with a smile and said: "Pu Hong Dashi, you've finally arrived. Everyone has been waiting for a long time!"

  Pu Heng Shangren smiled and nodded, saying: "I have kept all of you donors and Dao Xuan Zhangmen waiting for a long time, I am ashamed."

  At this time, Yun Yilang, who was standing beside Daoxuan Zhenren, laughed loudly and said: "Master, do you still recognize me? It's been many years since we last met. You shouldn't have forgotten our old friendship!"

  Pu Hong Shang Ren looked at Yun Yi Lan with a gaze, his expression was clearly taken aback for a moment, even the smile that had been hanging on his face was retracted for a moment. Then, a hint of admiration flashed across his eyes, and he said: "Could it be that this donor is actually Yun Yi Lan, the old master of Yunyigou?"

  Yun Yi Lan burst out laughing and made a bow, saying: "It is indeed I, paying respects to Master Fangzhang."

  Pu Hong stepped forward, bowed his head in return, and smiled: "I've long heard that the Taoist teachings of Huo Xiang Valley are profound, especially the 'Huo Xiang Yu Ce' three Yang realms are even more miraculous. It's said that Master Yun has a firm will, extraordinary talent, and has already reached the 'Yu Yang' realm?"

  Yun Yi's face changed slightly, and his heart was shocked. The Taoist methods of the Furnace Fragrance Valley were always known for their secrecy in the Orthodox way, far less than the two major factions of Qingyunmen and Tianyin Temple that shook the world. As soon as "Taiji Xuanqing Dao" or "Mahavairocana" was mentioned, everyone knew it. However, this time he entered the Central Plains, met with the leaders of the two major powerful families in China, and was surprisingly seen through by Daoxuan Zhenren and Puhong Shangren one after another. As soon as he thought about the relationship between them, he couldn't help but secretly suspect: Could it be that there is a traitor in our sect?

  He thought of returning, but his face remained calm and smiling: "The great master's wisdom is like a torch, my humble Dao is not worth mentioning!" After a pause, Yun Yilun's expression became slightly serious, saying: "However, since the great master has come, that's good. Nowadays, the world is in chaos, evil spirits are rampant, it's a disaster unprecedented in history. I hope the great master can lead the righteous path of heaven and eliminate this calamity, which would be the greatest kindness."

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren stood by, his complexion suddenly changing slightly.

  Pu Hong Shang Ren humbly said: "What Master Yun Shi said is reasonable. The world's creatures are suffering from the disaster, and monsters are rampant. As a Buddhist disciple of Tianyin Temple, how can we retreat behind others? Now that the orthodox sects have gathered under the blue sky, Da Xuan Shifu has always been respected for his virtues and prestige, and his Taoist magic is even more extraordinary, able to communicate with heaven. Naturally, it should be led by Da Xuan Shifu, leading all the orthodox sects together to resist the strong enemy."

  Daoxuan Zhenren smiled and said: "Master is too polite, Daoxuan dare not accept it."

  Pu Hong stepped forward, clasped his hands together in a salute and said: "The Dao Xuan sect leader, the entire world is eagerly awaiting your arrival day and night to put an end to this great calamity. You absolutely cannot decline again."

  Yun Yi Lan smiled and said, "You two are both accomplished individuals, why so many polite words? Come on, let's go inside to talk. Otherwise, having all these fellow practitioners accompany us three people chatting would be impolite to them!"

  Daoxuan Zhenren and Pu Heng Shangren looked at each other and smiled, then walked together. Along the way, many people kept greeting Pu Heng Shangren and the monks of Tianyin Temple, showing that Tianyin Temple was highly respected in the Orthodox Taoist community.

  They entered the Jade Clear Palace, and Pu Heng Shangren couldn't help but praise the newly built palace again. The atmosphere was magnificent and majestic. Dao Xuan Zhenren smiled humbly and invited Pu Heng Shangren to take the main seat, but he refused. After several rounds of declining, Dao Xuan Zhenren finally took the main seat as the host, while Pu Heng Shangren and Yun Yi Lan sat on either side.

  At this moment, nearly a hundred people stood on the grand hall, but the seats were limited. Except for a few scattered immortals with high prestige, those who sat down were figures from the three major factions. From this, we can also see the status and strength of the three major factions in the Orthodox Church, and discussions about countermeasures, etc., are naturally mostly discussed within the three major factions.

  After everyone sat down, Yun Yiluan was the first to speak up and asked Pu Heng Shangren: "Master, on your way here this time, did you see those cruel demon beasts?"

  Pu Hui nodded and said: "Yes, we also got rid of some monsters."

  The crowd around was in an uproar, the beast demon's disaster had long been spread throughout the world, and many people had seen it, but among the Orthodox people in the Qingyun Mountain Yuqing Temple, only a few disciples from the three major sects who were sent to gather information had fought against it.

  Dào Xuán zhēn rén yě wèi zhī dòng róng, dào: "ò, jìng yǒu cǐ shì, dàshī bù fáng shuō shuō, yě ràng zài zuò zhū wèi dōu zhīdào yīxià."

  Translation:

  "Dao Xuan was also moved to emotion and said: 'Oh, it turns out there's such a thing. Master, please go ahead and say more about it, so that everyone present can know about it too.'"

  Pu Hong Da Shi joined his palms together: "I dare not. Actually, on the way here we encountered these demonic creatures, and we didn't think much of it. All along we've heard that these demons were still rampaging in the south, but when we arrived at a small village seven hundred miles south of Qingyun Mountain, we discovered over a dozen strange creatures attacking the village. Unfortunately, we arrived too late, and all the villagers had already been killed."

  "Ah!" Dao Xuan Zhenren and Yun Yi Lan both exclaimed in surprise. The Qingyun Mountain was 700 miles south, which was not close but also not very far away. At this time, the monks of Tianyin Temple standing behind and beside Pu Hong Dashi all showed unbearable expressions on their faces, with several monks clasping their hands together to pray, it seemed that the scene at that time must have been extremely tragic, leaving a deep impression on these monks.

  Pu Hui Master sighed and his face showed a hint of unbearable expression, saying: "Those monsters are indeed as legendary, their appearance is derived from the mutation of several ferocious beasts in Nanjiang, and their nature is cruel and bloodthirsty. Not a single villager was left alive. Encountering such evil spirits, even if it means breaking the killing precept and damaging our cultivation, we must eliminate them for the sake of the people. Let's go down and get rid of them."

  The Taoist immortal raised his palm and said, "Master, you are acting on behalf of heaven, doing meritorious deeds, not committing the sin of taking lives. Master, there is no need to be troubled by this."

  Pu Hong sighed, nodded, and Yun Yilan furrowed her brow beside him, concerned about another issue, saying: "Master Fangzhang, I have something else to ask."

  Pu Hong said: "Please speak, Master of Cloud Valley."

  Yun Yilu said: "Earlier, we hadn't heard that these monsters had arrived there. Since Master has encountered them this time, the beast demons will probably arrive near Qingyun Mountain soon. I wonder if, on this journey, apart from this village, Master has discovered any other beast demons?"

  Pu Hong shook his head and said, "This is not the case. Except for that village, we haven't seen anything in other places. It's likely that a small number of monsters ran fast and happened to be caught by us."

  Daoxuan Zhenren sighed: "This is also their own misfortune, unfortunately, they can't save those villagers." The monks heard the words and all joined their hands in prayer, chanting Buddha's name.

  Yun Yi Lan nodded slightly and said: "Master, judging from what you saw of those beast demons and the high monks of Tianyin Temple engaging in battle, how strong are they?"

  Pu Hong hesitated for a moment, then said: "Most of these demons are just ordinary monsters, only with great strength and sharp claws, ferocious and cruel. If we really compare, the ordinary cultivation path of our Daoist practitioners can surpass them."

  Yun Yiluan nodded and said, "It seems that most of these monsters are ordinary demon beasts that have strayed from their groups." He paused for a moment, then turned to Li Xuan behind him and said, "Xuan'er, tell Pu Heng Da Shi about the information we've gathered over the past few days."

  Li Kun responded with a sound, walked out, and made a respectful bow to Pu Heng Shangren. Pu Heng Shangren smiled and said: "Master Li, no need for too much courtesy, please speak."

  Li Xun nodded and said, "Reporting to the master, after sending out fellow Taoists to investigate in the south over the past few days, we have discovered that this beast calamity is so severe for three main reasons. Firstly, most of these beasts are mutated from ordinary fierce animals, although we don't know what kind of mutation it is, but they have become more ferocious and cruel than before, making them impossible for ordinary people to resist; Secondly, the number of demonic beasts that emerged from the south this time is countless, our disciples saw tens of thousands of them swarming in the sky multiple times, even with high cultivation, it's hard to deal with such a situation; Thirdly, among these ordinary demonic beasts, there seem to be some special ones with unknown numbers, their magical powers are much stronger than many cultivators, and so far, no one has seen the legendary 'Beast God', but judging from his ability to control countless demonic beasts, he is likely to be a very formidable figure!"

  Pu Hong's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and the monks behind him at Tianyin Temple were also looking at each other in dismay. This beast demon disaster was unprecedentedly severe, judging from Li Xuan's expression when he spoke and the solemn expressions of Qingyunmen and Fengxianggu characters. It was clear that everyone was feeling heavy-hearted.

  The grand hall fell into a temporary silence, and after a while, Yun Yiluan let out a long sigh and smiled: "If these monsters are not formidable, how can they be the greatest calamity of all time? Anyway, things have come to this point, thinking too much is useless, it's better for us to discuss how to resist these demons."

  Daoxuan Zhenren nodded and said, "What the master of Yungu said is indeed so. In that case, I have some inferior tea collected by me for many years in my place. Please come to the inner hall with both of you to taste it, and we will talk while drinking."

  Pu Hongshangren and Yun Yiluan both stood up, exchanged a few words with each other at the door, and then followed Dao Xuanzhen into the inner hall. As the three dignitaries left, the atmosphere in the Jade Clear Hall slowly relaxed. Xiao Yicai, Qi Hua, Li Xun, and others, who were old acquaintances of Tianyin Temple's Fashang and Fashan, all walked together to chat. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Xiao Yicai suggested taking Fashang and Fashan to take a good look at the scenery of Tongtian Peak. Fashang and others happily agreed, and Li Xun and others happened to have nothing to do, so they followed along and walked out together.

  It's already summer, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter, but on this towering peak that pierces the clouds, it's still refreshingly cool. Walking to a distant cliff with railings at the top of the peak, leaning against the railing and gazing out into the distance, all you can see is a vast expanse of cloud, with the blue sky above, making one feel as if they're about to transcend this world.

  "Long ago, I heard that Qingyun Mountain is a paradise on earth. Ten years ago, when I came here for the first time, it broadened my horizons. Today, seeing it again, it's still so magnificent and moving, truly a wonder of the world!"

  Xiao Yizai smiled and said, "Master Fa Xiang is being polite again. If you want to talk about scenery, then the 'Wordless Jade Wall' and 'Mount Sumeru and Mustard Seed Mountain' of Mount Sumeru Tianyin Temple are not even more famous places in the world?"

  Fa Xiang smiled and said, "Those are just small scenes, how can they compare to the grandeur of Qingyun?" His eyes flickered with a hint of movement, and he suddenly discovered Li Xun and Yan Hong standing behind him. Yan Hong didn't seem to have any reaction, but Li Xun's face seemed to have a few hints of discontent, only that it wasn't like before, now he had more self-restraint and didn't express it.

  His expression remained calm and collected, without any change in his facial expression. He naturally continued, "However, if we're talking about scenery, I think that under the heavens, only Li Shixiong's Xuanhuo Valley can be compared to this. Am I right, Li Shixiong?"

  Li Xun was taken aback, a hint of a smile on his face, but he humbly replied: "Brother Fa Xiang is overpraising me. Fengxiang Valley is just a small place in a remote location, I dare not compare it to the scenery of Central Plains."

  Xiao Yicai's eyes were full of deep meaning, and he glanced at Fa Xiang before a hint of a smile appeared on his lips. He then laughed and said, "Alright, alright, there's no need for everyone to boast about it anymore. Every place has its own scenery, and the world is so vast that we may not be able to see everything in our lifetime."

  Everyone was moved at the same time and exclaimed in unison: "Exactly!" As they spoke, they burst out laughing together.

  After chatting and laughing for a while, Li Xun seemed to have thought of something again. He slowly walked to Xiao Yi's side and took advantage of the opportunity when no one was paying attention to whisper: "Elder Xiao, may I ask..."

  Xiao Yicai was taken aback and said: "Li Shixiong, speak freely."

  Li Xun hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help saying, "This... these days, especially on such an important day today, why haven't we seen Lu Xueqi, Little Bamboo Peak's Lu Shimei appear?"

  Xiao Yicai's expression changed slightly, and he glanced at Li Xuan before saying in a low voice: "Brother Li, because of what happened that day when Lu Shimei publicly disobeyed our master Daoxuan in the Yuqing Hall, she has been ordered to reflect on her actions at the Wishing Moon Pavilion on Small Bamboo Peak. It's already been several days now."

  Li Kun let out a soft "ah" and his expression turned complex, seeming to be both sad and slightly ashamed and annoyed. After a while, he sighed again and looked at Xiao Yi with a bitter smile, saying: "Thank you, Brother Xiao, for telling me this. I'm deeply grateful. Later, I'll ask my master to persuade Master Xuan to say a few words to him. Alas, it's all I can do."

  Xiao Yicai nodded and didn't say a word, only stretching out his hand to pat his shoulder.

  Among the crowd watching the beautiful scenery from a distance, Fasheng slowly withdrew his gaze from the two people who were speaking in low voices behind him. Suddenly, he heard someone whisper beside him: "Master, do you know that Li Shixiong has proposed to Lu Xueqi and Lu Shimei?"

  Fǎ xiāng wēi wēi yī xiào, xiàng zhàn zài shēn biān de qí huǎng kàn le yī yǎn, dào: "Lüè yǒu ěr wén."

  Translation:

  Fa Xiang smiled slightly and glanced at Qi Huan standing beside him, saying: "I've heard a little about it."

  Qihao nodded and stopped talking, but Fahsang suddenly sighed, his voice filled with emotion. Qihao felt a little surprised and asked: "Fahsang Shixiong, why are you sighing like this?"

  Her expression turned faintly pale with a slight smile, and she regained her composure, saying: "Nothing, I just suddenly thought of an old friend."

  "Old friend," said Qi Huangqi, "what old friend?"

  Fashang said with a smile: "A former comrade who was born and died with us, and had a great relationship with us and that Lu lady..."

  Zhi Hao fell silent, and after a long time, he also let out a deep sigh. His voice was filled with a sense of worldly weariness and the feeling that things had changed beyond recognition.

  The headquarters of the Demon Sect's Myriad Poison Gate is located in a place called "Venomous Snake Valley" in the southwest direction of Central Plains. Geographically, Venomous Snake Valley, Fox Qi Mountain of Gui Wang Zong, and Xiao Yao Gorge of He Huan Pai form a large triangle, restraining each other, facing off against one another, and originally formed a fairly solid balance of power within the Demon Sect today.

  But at this moment, this balance has reached a precarious point, especially in the Wàn Dú Mén (Ten Thousand Poison Sect), which was originally the largest force of the demonic teachings. With the death of the old sect leader, the Old Venomous One, the issue of succession to the new sect leader has caused chaos within the Ten Thousand Poison Sect. The situation at the main altar in the Valley of the Venomous Snakes is tense and on the verge of erupting into violence.

  In name, he had received the dying wish of the Poison God and had the formal status of heir as the Poison God's closed-door disciple, Qin Wu Yan. Unfortunately, in the demonic sect, especially in the Wan Du Men, a sect that valued martial prowess above all else, relying solely on the Poison God's last will was useless.

  Just after the Poison God's death, his other disciples rushed back to the Poison Snake Valley, coming with a strong momentum and showing an attitude of competing for the position of the sect leader. Qin Wuyan, although deeply inheriting the true teachings of the Poison God, had far surpassed several of his senior brothers in terms of abilities, but he was at a disadvantage due to his shallow history within the sect and many high-ranking members standing on the side of his senior brothers. Moreover, during his previous encounter with Ghost King Sect's Blood Prince Gui Lie in the Dead Swamp, Qin Wuyan had been ambushed and severely injured, although he had largely recovered by now. However, the extremely evil and malevolent artifact "Blood-Drinking Pearl" possessed by Gui Lie had left him suffering greatly, as a remnant of its dark energy still lingered within his body's meridians like a parasite, significantly hindering his cultivation progress and giving others an opportunity to vie for the throne.

  However, fortunately, at this critical juncture, Qin Wuyan finally relied on the Gu God's true method of eccentric Taoism, combined with the use of five highly toxic combinations including "Seven-Tailed Scorpion", to forcibly clear out the strange blood-drinking demon power from his body. This matter of great importance had only occurred a few days ago, and Qin Wuyan was deeply thoughtful, keeping this secret to himself. He knew that he was now the target of public criticism, so he endured with a bitter heart.

  His patience was soon rewarded. The three senior brothers, Fan Xiong, Cheng Wuya and Duan Rishan, who had originally joined forces to return and seize the position of master, discovered that this once most dreaded junior brother had become a half-crippled person with internal injuries and illness, and he sincerely stated that their master had indeed passed on the position of master to him before his death, but he himself did not want to sit in this position. He handed over the seal of the sect leader and placed it in front of the poisonous god's spirit tablet, indicating that only the person who became the sect leader could obtain it afterwards. The alliance between the three poisonous gods' successors quickly began to disintegrate and collapse.

  The masters of the Wàn Dú Mén, including the disciples, have now split into three factions. One faction, led by Bǎi Dú Zǐ, stands with Master Fan Xióng; while Xiāo Xuě Lǎo Yāo and his friend Duān Mù Lǎo Zǔ, who had a vendetta against Zhang Xiao Fan for killing their disciple, stand behind Chéng Wú Yá. As for the remaining third faction, led by Duàn Rú Shān, although he ranks last in terms of Taoist cultivation among the four disciples of the Poison God, he has always been cunning and has secretly plotted to gain power. This time, with his forces temporarily being the strongest, many old demons from the Wàn Dú Mén who had not appeared for a long time were pulled over to his side, and nearly half of the disciples also stand with him.

  In the Venomous Snake Valley at this moment, it is the last day of the seventh day of mourning for the death of the Venomous God. The news of the Venomous God's passing has spread, and the funeral hall is filled with white flags, but there are hardly any sounds of crying to be heard. Most of the Wan Poison Gate disciples, although wearing white ribbons on their heads and dressed in hemp cloth, do not have even a hint of sadness or pain on their faces. On the contrary, many people glare at each other, confronting those from another faction. If it weren't for the last bit of face-saving consideration for the funeral hall, this place would probably have turned into a martial arts arena rather than a funeral hall.

  The four disciples of the Poison God, all wearing heavy mourning clothes, knelt before the crowd, but except for Qin Wu Yan, the other three only kowtowed three times and stood up, standing aside, with many people standing behind them, facing each other, and countless eyes intentionally or unintentionally gazing at the green small box placed on the offering table in front of the coffin in the mourning hall, with four characters written on it.

  Ten Thousand Poison Divine Seal

  It is the seal of approval that only the master of Wàn Dú Mén has possessed since ancient times.

  On the table were three offerings of fruit, in front of the table on the ground was a copper basin, burning with flames. After Qin Wu Yan finished kowtowing, unlike his three senior brothers, he quietly knelt to one side, took out the paper money and put it into the copper basin one by one, burning it for the deceased. His three senior brothers didn't even give him a proper look, anyway no matter who became the sect leader in the end, this useless person would still be unable to escape his fate of being poisoned to death.

  Their attention was still focused on that small box.

  With a ferocious expression, Fan Xiong suddenly let out a cold hum and took a step forward, heading towards the offering table. However, Cheng Wuya and Duan Rishan, who had been on guard, almost simultaneously flashed out, with Duan Rishan coldly saying: "Big Brother Master, our master's seventh day has not yet passed, what do you plan to do?"

  Fan Xiong's eyes widened, and a fierce light flashed on his face as he said, "I am the eldest senior brother, so this child should naturally be inherited by me."

  Cheng Wuya snorted and said: "From where did you see that this position is the one Eldest Brother occupies?"

  Duan Yushan also sneered: "You want to talk about seniority, right? If you really want to talk about seniority, then when Master was dying, he passed on the position to Little Shidi, what does that have to do with you?"

  Fan Xiong's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he suddenly turned his head to look at Qin Wu Yan. Qin Wu Yan didn't even lift his head, and his voice still sounded weak, coughing once before speaking in a trembling tone: "Three senior brothers, when you just returned...cough, cough, cough...I immediately handed over the seal and explained that I wasn't interested in this position. You...cough, cough...entered the sect earlier than me, and your reputation is higher than mine, so it's only natural that one of you should take this seat. Master is old, and he must have been confused when he said those things. Ultimately, who takes this seat is up to you to decide, just don't drag me into it."

  His tone was low and trembling, with a hint of fear and guilt. Where was the former arrogance? Fan Xiong sneered and turned his head away, not looking at him again, saying: "So what do you plan to do?"

  Duan Yushan sneered coldly, saying: "No need to say more, let's just follow our agreement. Let the master pass away first and we'll decide who will take this position tomorrow in this mourning hall!"

  Fan Xiong glared fiercely at Duan Rishan and Cheng Wuya, but his two junior brothers didn't look like they were going to be kind either. After a moment, Fan Xiong suddenly turned around and walked out of the mourning hall in big strides, followed by a large group of people. Cheng Wuya and Duan Rishan also led their men out of the mourning hall, leaving only Qin Wu Yan kneeling silently on the ground guarding the coffin.

  It wasn't until Qin Wuyan had burned all the paper money in his hands that he slowly raised his head, his eyes under the white cloth dull and without luster.

  "Master..." His voice was soft and only audible to himself, "Master! Did you see? These people are your disciples, your subordinates..."

  Qin's lips curled up into a cold smile, slowly spreading across his face with an icy chill that was devoid of any emotion.