Daoist Mingkong was dead.
In the Li family's main hall.
Li Dalong and his wife emerged from the Heaven-Piercing Coffin.
The children of the Li family's second generation gathered within the hall, while the Old Ancestor floated in the air.
A pale corpse lay on the ground, the Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi within its body still slowly dissipating back into the world.
The members of the Li family stared at the corpse in prolonged silence, feeling a mixture of anger and respect.
A disciple arrived from the Heavenly Light Sect, delivering a jade slip from the Heavenly Light Grand Ancestor.
Daoist Mingkong's final words before his death were also relayed to the Li family members' ears.
A panel appeared before Li Wei's eyes.
[Special Event—Mingkong's Gamble]
[In order to secure the greater interests of the Heavenly Light Sect, he invited an outsider to disrupt Li Yaotie's Divinity Transformation tribulation.
He gambled on whether he could kill Li Yaotie right before the Heavenly Light Grand Ancestor's eyes.
If he won, Li Yaotie would die, and he, at most, would lose his position as Sect Master.
If he failed, he would use his death to warn his sect.]
Having existed in this world for a long time, Li Wei had truly seen the myriad faces of humanity.
If one truly stood in Mingkong's position, perhaps it was as he said: he had merely lost his gamble, but had not done wrong. Or perhaps, the moment he started the gamble, he had already walked down the wrong path.
But the affairs of the world were not so easily explained.
"When Mingkong died, he confessed everything he knew."
Li Yaozu broke the clansmen's silence. "The person who made a move against Third Brother came from a place called Peerless Pavilion."
"I know about Peerless Pavilion."
Li Yaowen's voice was soft.
"Hmm?"
The clansmen were all startled. After the incident, they had also checked the Hall of Heavenly Principle's records, but knew very little about Peerless Pavilion.
It was truly a sectarian power that rarely appeared in the world.
Li Yaowen smiled, "One of my avatars was born in God-Hunter Village. That village is like a secluded paradise, quite extraordinary. They have a library pavilion containing numerous ancient records, some of which mention history after the founding of the Azure Dynasty. If I were to truly recount it all, it would take two or three years."
"Among them, Peerless Pavilion was a great power that appeared sixty thousand years ago. It was brought to prominence by a Void Refining expert named Venerable Xuan, who was also the most talented Void Refining cultivator of that era, reaching the realm in three thousand years."
"The ancient records state, 'Heaven envied the Venerable Xuan; the Venerable fell, and Peerless arose.'
Since then, Peerless Pavilion withdrew from the world, and its successors are unknown.
However, God-Hunter Village speculates that this Peerless Pavilion has two Hall Masters.
They have lived from sixty thousand years ago until the present day, but their identities have always remained secret.
The chaotic age has arrived, and it seems the Human Emperor is nearing his end.
Those powers that had withdrawn from the world now have the confidence to reappear.
Peerless Pavilion's tentacles have silently reached into the Heavenly Light Sect."
Hearing this, the expressions of the Li family members turned grim.
Li Yaoqing clenched her fists. "Void Refining cultivators have fifty thousand years of lifespan, yet they have lived for sixty thousand years!"
"Mm."
Li Yaowen looked toward Li Yaotie. "Third Brother, what do you think of this matter?"
"How else can I see it?" Li Yaotie grinned.
"Master already said, when Mingkong died, he had thought everything through. Announce to the world that it was I who killed Mingkong. From then on, everyone in the world would know our Li family and the Heavenly Light Sect have parted ways.
Mingkong brought suffering upon himself, so then no one would know it was Peerless Pavilion who made the move."
Seeing the coldness in his Big Brother's eyes, Li Yaotie looked even more indifferent.
"If the person from Peerless Pavilion who made the move appeared before me, I'd even have to throw a banquet for them. Hehe, I didn't end up dying, and even benefited from the disaster, breaking through to fifth-tier Divinity Transformation—won't that just make them furious?!"
These words made the Li family members laugh in exasperation.
Li Dalong rubbed the thumb ring in his hand; he had originally intended to give this third son a good beating when he returned, but now, seeing the child pretending to be simple and foolish, he also silently put away the rattan cane hidden in his storage ring.
"We won't take this lying down."
Li Yaowen rubbed her slender hands together.
"Since Peerless Pavilion's tentacles reached the Heavenly Light Sect, they must also reach other places. They must be seeking something, and sooner or later, they will reveal themselves elsewhere.
They've existed for so long; I fear they have significant connections with the Imperial Dynasty's powerful nobles. Any major figure could potentially be linked to them."
"For now, let's keep this matter to ourselves. I will keep an eye out. When they show their faces again, I will find a way to pass the news to the various major figures, embellish it a bit, and naturally, someone will deal with them."
Everyone nodded slightly, then looked at each other and smiled.
For hundreds of years, they had long understood one thing: sometimes they had to admit they had to yield. Even when harboring deadly hatred, they had no choice but to hide that hatred in their hearts.
They had the Old Ancestor, the Heaven-Piercing Coffin, the Old Tree, the inherited spiritual Qi of Tian Xing, divine arts, and... a little notebook recording their enemies.
Just as they were continuing to discuss the family's situation and the general trend of the world.
Everyone was stunned for a moment; a family servant came to report that General Wang Jinhu had arrived.
"Yaotie, the Heavenly Light Sect is your sect, after all. Send Mingkong's corpse back with General Wang."
Li Dalong smiled and said, "Don't hold a grudge against your sect. The Heavenly Light Sect has greatly aided our Li family. Send some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from the treasury."
"I'm not a child." Li Yaotie rolled his eyes.
Li Dalong immediately glared. "Take ten thousand years' worth of stipend; it'll be deducted from yours."
"Ah?"
Li Yaotie walked out of the hall with a miserable look on his face, truly wondering how many years it would take to pay off this debt.
After this Third Brother left, everyone in the hall suddenly burst into laughter. Li Yaoqing looked bewildered.
Li Yaowen, rarely seen doing so, clutched her stomach laughing, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Dad, Third Brother didn't actually take your casual remark seriously, did he?"
"Nonsense, how was I just making things up? It was just Yunbing trying to scare the children so they wouldn't get too out of hand."
Li Dalong waved his hand dismissively. "Only that pig-headed Third Son... Hmm? Yaoqing, why are you crying?"
"I... the two hundred thousand years you owe me, it's fake? My two hundred thousand years!!!"
"Yunbing!!!"
In Duravia Trade Prefecture, inside the Prefecture Lord's Hall, Li Yunbing, who was laughing and chatting with several clan heads from Duravia Trade Prefecture, sneezed.
He secretly thought that someone in the clan must be thinking of him again.