Chapter 1589
Truth or Falsehood
Ding ding ding—
Sect Leader Li Qiankun rang the bell to summon all disciples.
The disciples were puzzled, but when they thought about the great calamity that had broken out in the Dao Spirit Realm and the rising evil energy, they couldn't help but feel a little worried and scared.
As they rushed to the square, everyone's face clearly showed their unease.
Compared to usual times, there were many more disciples in the square at this time.
The reason for this is that after the great calamity broke out, almost all the disciples who were originally guarding the spiritual land outside were summoned back.
The defenses of those spiritual lands are indeed quite good, but that's all. In peacetime, with the protection of the formations and the deterrent effect of the Tongtian Sect, naturally no one would dare to covet the spiritual objects within them.
But the situation is different now!
When a great calamity strikes, one's state of mind is easily affected by the evil energy. In addition, one needs to settle one's own karma, so many cultivators will probably have designs on the disciples in the spiritual land.
Especially for rogue cultivators who hardly cultivate their Dao heart, they are extremely susceptible to the influence of evil energy, and might even take action directly!
For their safety, it would be best to recall them all.
As for the disciples stationed in the Immortal City and the market, they remained at their posts and did not return to Mount Dengxian.
After all, the disciples in the market and the immortal city are not only more numerous, but their defensive formations are also more powerful. Under the current circumstances, it is not necessary to abandon the city and flee.
Li Qiankun, who had been waiting there for some time, decided not to wait any longer since almost everyone had arrived. He said:
"I have gathered you all here today to announce an important matter!"
After saying that, he took off several storage magic items from his waist.
He then bluntly told everyone that the room was filled with the pills that the sect leader had refined over the past few days. Instantly, the scene fell silent, and all the disciples were too shocked to speak.
boom!
But in the next instant, a huge uproar of discussion erupted in the square.
There were voices of doubt as well as words of admiration.
The sound was so loud that it echoed throughout the entire Dengxian Mountain.
"This……"
The elder, who was also completely unaware of this before, was more composed than his disciples, but his face was still filled with disbelief.
Out of respect for the sect leader Li Zhirui, many things were better left unsaid.
Li Qiankun observed everyone's reactions and was filled with mixed emotions. When he first learned of this, he was no better off than them.
After sorting out his complicated thoughts, he spoke in a loud voice, suppressing the murmurs of the crowd, "I'm sure everyone knows that now that the great calamity of heaven and earth has broken out, even though our sect is located in a remote corner, it is still shrouded in baleful energy, and countless battles of life and death are inevitable."
These words caused the room to fall completely silent, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.
Although the Tongtian Sect has not yet participated, everyone knows very well that that day will eventually come!
It's just unknown what fate awaits them in this great calamity.
"Therefore, the sect leader specially took action to refine hundreds of thousands of pills for the sect and all the disciples, which were divided into functional pills such as those for restoring mana, healing injuries, concealing aura, and increasing strength."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a hoarse, excited roar rang out across the square, "Thank you, Sect Leader! May the Sect Leader live forever and attain the Great Dao!"
"May the sect leader live forever and attain the Great Dao!"
It's unclear who started it or who responded, but in the next instant, the words resounded through the sky and spread far and wide.
The disciples' gratitude towards Li Zhirui reached its peak at this moment.
Although they did not experience the perilous calamity firsthand, we can still glimpse its horror from historical records and classic texts. The terror described therein is vividly portrayed in just a few strokes, and the stench of blood is palpable.
To say I wasn't afraid would be a lie.
There's nothing we can do but be afraid, because under the great calamity, all beings are equal and no one can escape. If we don't want to be punished by Heaven after the calamity and have our path cut off, we have to participate and fight hard.
At this critical moment, Sect Leader Li Zhirui prepared excellent and comprehensive elixirs for them. Even though there were only a few, they could greatly increase their chances of survival during the great calamity.
Unfortunately, Li Zhirui, who was in his cave, did not hear the disciples' heartfelt expressions of gratitude.
Since he had nothing else to do, and the elixirs were already prepared, and the calamity energy filled the world, hindering cultivation and making it impossible for him to calm his mind or absorb spiritual energy, he could only sit cross-legged idly.
He even thought that if the group of cultivators who wanted to take action against the Tongtian Sect were true, he hoped they would act as soon as possible, so as to save him from this boredom.
As for how the pills he refined were ultimately distributed, Li Zhirui didn't care at all and left it all to Li Qiankun to handle.
"Ugh!"
Looking at the empty quiet room, Li Zhirui suddenly sighed and muttered to himself, "I don't know whether to say that my luck is good or bad. How did I end up encountering such a major event as the world's ascension?"
It should be understood that each world advancement seems to be a great thing for the beings in that world, after all, it brings many benefits such as richer spiritual energy, higher world limits, and more perfect laws.
However, not every living being can enjoy these benefits. Only those who survive the great calamity and settle their karmic debts are qualified to enjoy them!
……
On another note!
"These pills for restoring mana and healing injuries will be distributed to each disciple ten times. After the great calamity breaks out, we will replenish them as needed. The sect will do everything possible to ensure that everyone has enough pills!"
After a pause, Li Qiankun continued, "As for other functional pills, you can choose five for now, and the rest will depend on your mission."
Since they enjoy the benefits and advantages of the Tongtian Sect, they should naturally also bear the corresponding responsibilities.
For example, the karma of disciples who have just entered the Dao, or whose cultivation level is low, or who are injured in the line of duty, or who are not good at offensive techniques such as alchemists or weapon refiners, will gather in the Tongtian Sect and then be resolved by other disciples.
"Thank you, Sect Leader! The Sect Leader is wise!"
Everyone was content with the current situation, not to mention the elixirs that would follow, which made them even happier.
After all, if they had a few more pills, they might be able to survive one of the great calamities because of those extra pills!
After spending a considerable amount of time distributing pills to all his disciples, Li Qiankun suddenly gazed into the distance, thinking about the spies he had secretly dispatched a few days ago.
'I wonder what news they'll bring back. Are the previous rumors true or false?'
He desperately hoped it was fake, because if it were real, countless disciples would die in the great calamity after this battle.
Especially for forces like the Tongtian Sect, which have deep foundations but relatively weak strength, they are very easy targets!
Once targeted, regardless of who wins or loses in the end, the losses will be substantial!
……
Two flowers bloom, one branch each.
A few days ago.
After hearing Li Zhirui's instructions, Li Qiankun immediately sent out his spies. After a series of extremely careful actions, they finally succeeded in reaching the territory of the Void Spirit Palace.
This Void Spirit Palace is the place where the rumors of several forces joining forces to attack the Tongtian Sect first spread. Within Mingzhou, it can be considered a major force, with over 100,000 disciples, hundreds of Earth Immortals, and dozens of Heaven Immortals.
Legend has it that thousands of years ago, it was originally a sect of immortals, but no immortals were born in its later generations, so it declined to this state.
If we exclude Li Zhirui, the strength of the Void Spirit Palace is even greater than that of the Tongtian Sect!
Perhaps this is why the rumors spread from this place?
"Split up, proceed with caution, and absolutely do not reveal your identities!"
After entering the Void Realm, the spies discussed the matter and ultimately made this decision.
While acting alone weakens their strength, it also makes them more concealed and less likely to be discovered.
Furthermore, once useful intelligence is gathered, it can be returned immediately, thus ensuring that the sect receives the message.
One of the spies, using the alias Chen Caijun, disguised himself as a rogue cultivator and arrived at a small immortal city.
Although it may be more difficult to obtain intelligence, it is safer!
And that alone is enough to outweigh everything else.
To his surprise, things went very smoothly!
He had barely entered the city and hadn't even had a chance to take a look around when a voice reached his ears.
"Brother Dao, do you really think the Void Spirit Palace will attack the Tongtian Sect? Their strength is no match at all, and as the attacker, they naturally lack the advantage of terrain. Don't let them get crushed."
"At first, I was also curious and didn't believe they had such audacity, but later I found out there was a secret behind it!"
"Oh?"
The cultivator who had spoken earlier became very excited and urged repeatedly, "Brother Dao, drink this cup to the brim! Then tell me all the news you know."
"Isn't the Void Spirit Palace supposed to be an alliance of eight families? It's basically a union of all the well-known forces in Mingzhou, except for the Tongtian Sect."
"But among these eight major forces, there are no Xuanxian powerhouses. Even if there are many Tianxian cultivators, it is impossible for a Xuanxian powerhouse to make a move."
"That's true, but what you don't know is that there are Xuanxian among these eight major forces!"
"what?!"
"I heard that a Xuanxian (a type of immortal) came from somewhere, and somehow the Xuling Palace managed to get him involved. With this powerful figure backing them up, they set their sights on the Tongtian Sect, which wasn't particularly strong overall."
"I think it's not just because the Tongtian Sect is not strong overall, but also because its rise has not only squeezed out the territory of other forces, but also taken away a lot of wealth from the original forces."
Now that they have no chance to eliminate it, these eight forces will naturally not hesitate, nor will they show any mercy.
"I see!"
"It seems that the Tongtian Sect is about to be destroyed."
……
Chen Caijun, who happened to be passing by, overheard the entire conversation between the two. He immediately became suspicious. Was it really such a coincidence, or was it a trap set up by the Void Spirit Palace long ago?
After all, for someone like him to be walking along the roadside and have just entered the city, to hear two cultivators discussing this topic seemed like a trap no matter how you looked at it.
The moment this thought crossed his mind, he immediately became alert.
Taking this into consideration, he did not immediately send the message back to the Tongtian Sect. Instead, he planned to investigate further to confirm the authenticity of the message before using the precious Ten Thousand Mile Transmission Talisman to send it back.
Chen Caijun then became more cautious in his actions, but according to the intelligence gathered from all sides, the eight major forces, including the Void Spirit Palace, had already assembled, and the Xuanxian were all true.
"It's all true?! The encounter with those two cultivators at the beginning wasn't a trap, it was really just a coincidence?!"
Thinking of this, Chen Caijun was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
To verify the truth, he wasted a lot of precious time, because the information he had gathered said that the eight major forces had assembled and were preparing to march towards the Tongtian Sect!
However, on the other hand, these eight forces were very confident in themselves and believed that they would definitely be able to take down the Tongtian Sect, so they did not conceal anything in any way, and even the cultivators on the roadside knew about the relevant information.
Fortunately, it's not too late.
After sorting out and refining the message, Chen Caijun activated the Thousand-Mile Transmission Talisman to send the message back first, and then tried to find a way to quietly return to the Tongtian Sect.
"It turned out to be true!"
In a short while, Li Qiankun, who was far away on Mount Dengxian, received the transmission talisman. He quickly read through its contents and his expression became more serious.
"Xuanxian, the eight major powers..."
Thinking about all this, a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.
Even if the sect leader were to face that Xuanxian, the hundreds of Celestial Immortals from the eight major powers, even if only half of them were to appear, could easily defeat the Tongtian Sect.
It should be noted that, to date, the Tongtian Sect still has only a handful of Celestial Immortal cultivators.
The gap between the two sides is truly a huge chasm.
"Will the Tongtian Cult still exist after this invasion is over?"
Seeing the vast difference between them, Li Qiankun was deeply hurt and felt somewhat lost and dejected.
However, as the person chosen by Li Zhirui, his temperament and qualities were still very strong. He quickly returned to normal and summoned all the elders, inviting Li Zhirui to the sect's main hall to discuss the matter.
Before long, with the arrival of the last elder, the once empty hall now seemed quite full.
"Sect Leader!" Everyone stood up to pay their respects.
Li Zhirui arrived last, not because he cared about pomp and circumstance, but simply because the disciple who went to fetch him was a bit slow.
"No need for such formalities."
As soon as he sat down, he asked, "How is the situation?"
"Sect Leader, your previous guess was wrong!"
Li Qiankun shook his head and sighed before telling everyone the news sent back by the spies.
Eight established Celestial Immortal factions have joined forces, with hundreds of Celestial Immortal cultivators alone!
There are countless cultivators at other realms.
"Hiss! They're that powerful? Why did they join forces?"
To put it bluntly, any one of them could be stronger than the Tongtian Sect.
Just from these things, a powerful pressure came crashing down on the elders.
Of all those present, only Li Zhirui remained calm, seemingly unconcerned about the situation.
Because if he wanted to, what did hundreds of celestial beings matter? They wouldn't stand a chance against him. (End of Chapter)