The Heavenly Dragon's Beginning in the Journey Through the Heavens

Chapter 212 The Hidden Ancestral Shrine of Qingyun

And so, the two fought fiercely for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Surprisingly, neither side could gain the upper hand, and they remained evenly matched.

Just then, Tian Buyi shouted loudly, then decisively withdrew his hand and took several steps back, his face full of disappointment as he questioned Cangsong:

"Cangsong! We are all brothers from the same school, why can't we talk things out openly instead of resorting to killing our senior brother, the sect leader?"

There are two reasons why Tian Buyi chose to retreat.

Firstly, the pent-up resentment he had been suppressing had been released after the previous exchange.

Secondly, when he saw Dao Xuan gradually regain consciousness, he realized that the other party was no longer in danger.

Based on this, Tian Buyi decisively withdrew his move and retreated.

Since Tian Buyi was able to notice this situation, how could Cangsong, who was fighting him, not notice it?

However, unlike Tian Buyi, Cangsong did not show any joy when he saw Daoxuan awaken; instead, his face was filled with resentment.

He stared intently at Dao Xuan, snorted coldly, and said indignantly:

"Hmph! What else is there to say? Back then, Senior Brother Wan's death was full of suspicious points. What other explanation could there be besides Dao Xuan deliberately framing him?"

Looking back on those days, the pine tree was a loyal follower of Wan Jianyi.

In his mind, Wan Jianyi was exceptionally talented and brimming with ability, making him the perfect choice to become the leader of the Qingyun Sect.

Who could have imagined that upon their return from their travels, they would be met with such horrifying news:

Wan Jianyi was accused of betraying his master and ancestors, and was executed without mercy by Dao Xuan!

This sudden turn of events meant they didn't even have time to see Wan Jianyi one last time, leaving them filled with regret and resentment.

Regarding the widely circulated rumors about the so-called mistakes made by Wan Jianyi, Cangsong has always firmly believed that it was nothing more than a sinister conspiracy meticulously planned by Daoxuan in order to usurp the position of sect leader.

For many years, Cangsong had been plotting revenge for Wan Jianyi every moment, but he could never find the right opportunity.

Just now, he caught a glimpse of Dao Xuan, who was seriously injured and alone. Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for revenge, how could Cang Song easily miss it?

And so, the breathtaking scene just now unfolded.

Seeing that Cangsong remained silent, Tian Buyi knew that it would be pointless to say anything more at this point, so he did not ask any further questions. Instead, he slowly turned his head toward Daoxuan, as if waiting for him to decide how to deal with Cangsong.

At the same time, everyone present turned their attention to Dao Xuan, wanting to see how this highly respected sect leader intended to handle the matter of Cang Song.

Dao Xuan, through their brief conversation, had already discerned the true reason why Cang Song had so ruthlessly tried to kill him.

However, when he heard Cangsong's reason for taking action, he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, his expression instantly solidified, and a look of astonishment and disbelief flashed in his eyes.

A moment later, he slowly lowered his head, and his originally straight back seemed to be bent under the weight, as if he were carrying a heavy burden.

As my thoughts drifted away, those long-buried memories began to surge uncontrollably into my mind.

Back then, these brothers were all highly skilled and full of ambition, roaming the martial arts world with great vigor and boundless glory.

However, fate always likes to play tricks on people. A sudden change of events descended upon them without warning, like a bolt from the blue that caught everyone off guard.

After that incident, Wan Jianyi was inexplicably burdened with the eternal infamy of betraying his master and ancestors.

In reality, that incident was clearly a mistake he and Wan Jianyi made together.

As the eldest disciple, he should have stepped forward and bravely taken on all the responsibilities, but at that time, he chose to run away because of his inner fear and cowardice.

Thus, Wan Jianyi bore the immense pressure and the accusations and insults from everyone alone, and he himself became the sect leader.

Whenever he recalls this painful past, Daoxuan cannot help but feel deep self-blame and regret.

At this moment, his heart was filled with endless bitterness, like drinking a cup of bitter wine, the taste spreading from the tip of his tongue to the bottom of his heart, and lingering for a long time.

After a long while, Dao Xuan raised his head as if waking from a dream.

He first turned to look at the devastated Qingyun Mountain, where the once majestic peaks were now broken walls and ruins.

Then he turned his gaze to the disciples of the sect who had suffered heavy casualties. Seeing them fall one by one into pools of blood, groaning in pain, his heart felt as if it had been pierced by a thousand sharp blades at the same time.

Finally, after a fierce internal struggle, Dao Xuan seemed to have made up his mind.

He sighed heavily again, then looked up at the pine tree with an incredibly complex expression.

"Cough cough..."

Dao Xuan then coughed violently twice, his once upright body now appearing somewhat hunched.

He slowly raised his head again, glanced at everyone with a complicated look, and then looked at the pine tree and sighed, saying:

"So all of this actually stemmed from that incident back then!"

However, despite the reasons, you actually killed your fellow disciple, which is such a serious mistake that you must be punished!

Now, let's go together to the ancestral temple. After I report this matter to the ancestral master, we will discuss together how you should be punished. Do you have any objections to this?

Just now, Cangsong attacked Daoxuan without regard for anything else.

In fact, from the very beginning, Cangsong never thought he would have a chance to survive.

The only thing that he felt most regretful and heartbroken about was that he ultimately failed to avenge his senior brother Wan's blood feud.

Therefore, he had no intention of resisting Dao Xuan's arrangement.

It wasn't that he didn't want to take the opportunity to escape, but now all the leaders of the Qingyun Sect had gathered here, and even if he had wings, he probably wouldn't be able to get away on his own.

After Dao Xuan methodically instructed his disciples to clean up the battlefield, the chief disciples set off towards the ancestral hall of the Qingyun Sect.

Although Dao Xuan was seriously injured, after a short period of rest and recuperation, his physical condition had improved somewhat, and he was able to barely manage to walk a short distance.

Of course, before leaving, he would not forget the Zhuxian Sword that he had just discarded on the ground.

As the group of high-ranking figures from the Qingyun Sect gradually disappeared into the distance, the remaining Qingyun Sect disciples immediately sprang into action, meticulously cleaning up the area that had just witnessed a fierce battle.

The three little ones stood close together in the bustling crowd, their eyes fixed on the now-calmed battlefield.

The thrilling battle between good and evil that just happened was like a violent storm, which came suddenly and went quickly, ultimately ending in a rather anticlimactic manner.

At this moment, their hearts are filled with gratitude and emotion for surviving the ordeal.

Recalling the chaotic and life-or-death scene just now, everyone was still shaken.

In such a fierce and chaotic battle, every moment could be the end of life, and no one dared to pat their chest and guarantee that they would definitely walk out of this hellish battlefield alive.

Although Ling Feng had stood up for them not long ago, making those powerful beings who had reached the Refining Spirit Returning to Emptiness Realm hesitant to attack them, as the saying goes, many ants can kill an elephant. If a few more experts at the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation Realm joined forces to attack them, they would probably be unable to withstand it.

Therefore, when they witnessed the battle finally come to an end, the three little ones felt a great sense of relief, and their joy was palpable.

They exchanged a glance, and then joined the cleanup effort without hesitation.

On the other side, Ling Feng stood quietly in place, watching the scene gradually return to calm before him, with little change in expression on his face.

He didn't really have many thoughts or feelings about how the battle ended so hastily.

However, to Ling Feng's relief and anticipation, after all these twists and turns, the system task he received could perhaps be considered successfully completed.

After all, the great battle was over, and Biyao was still safe and sound, unlike the misfortune that occurred in the original story.

Logically speaking, this is quite consistent with the system's set task objectives.

Strangely, the system has not yet issued any notification about the completion of the task, which has left Ling Feng puzzled and completely baffled as to what exactly went wrong.

However, Ling Feng had no time to attend to other matters at the moment, and the conversation between Dao Xuan and the others had just been clearly heard by him.

As he watched them head towards the ancestral hall, Ling Feng couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression Cang Song would have after learning the truth.

Not only that, Dao Xuan also took the incredibly powerful Zhuxian Sword with him, which happened to be one of Ling Feng's targets in this operation.

Therefore, both logically and emotionally, he had no choice but to follow closely behind and investigate the specific situation.

In the blink of an eye, Ling Feng made a decisive move, leading Bi Yao and the others to carefully conceal their presence and rush silently toward the ancestral hall of the Qingyun Sect like ghosts.

Not long after, Dao Xuan, whose face was as pale as paper, led a group of chief disciples to the front of the Ancestral Temple.

Although this place is the resting place of the spirits of the Qingyun Sect's past patriarchs, bearing the sect's profound history and heritage, very few people usually set foot here. Therefore, an indescribable sense of desolation and loneliness permeates the surroundings, and even the solemn and majestic gate of the patriarch's ancestral hall is tightly closed.

Having come this far, Dao Xuan did not hesitate or waver in the slightest.

He walked forward with firm steps and steadily pushed open the two heavy doors with both hands.

With a deep creaking sound, the door slowly opened, and a breathtaking scene was instantly revealed to everyone.

The first thing that catches everyone's eye is the row of neatly arranged ancestral tablets, which stand there quietly, as if silently telling the story of the glory and vicissitudes of the past.

And in the very center of all the memorial tablets is undoubtedly the memorial tablet of Qingyunzi, the founder of the Qingyun Sect.

The chief monks were already accustomed to the existence of these memorial tablets, so they were naturally not surprised or taken aback.

However, something unexpected happened!

To everyone's astonishment, a person with a full head of snow-white hair was kneeling devoutly before the solemn and dignified memorial tablet of the patriarch.

The bizarre and peculiar scene before them filled everyone present with an overwhelming sense of curiosity and doubt.

You should know that this place is the most important ancestral hall of the Qingyun Sect. Under normal circumstances, no outsider is allowed to set foot in this sacred place without permission.

But how exactly did this mysterious figure with a full head of white hair manage to get into this place?

Just as everyone was filled with suspicion and making their own guesses, the white-haired man who had been kneeling finally turned around slowly.

When everyone finally saw the face of the white-haired man clearly, time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Everyone was stunned into silence, unable to utter a single word.

Cangsong, in particular, stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

Because deep in his memory, this person had long since passed away.

But at this moment, the other party came back to life and stood right in front of him, completely real.

This unbelievable situation not only shocked him greatly, but also stirred up a wave of ecstatic joy deep within him.

As the pine tree gazed at the figure that had turned around, tears welled up in its eyes and streamed down its face like a burst dam.

His voice trembled with excitement, and he cried out loudly, his voice trembling with emotion:

"Senior Brother Wan, is it really... really you?"

Without a doubt, this mysterious man with white hair was Wan Jianyi.

At this moment, he stared silently at the astonished crowd outside the door, forcing out an extremely stiff smile.

He then turned his gaze to Cangsong, whose face was streaked with tears and who was emotionally distraught, nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and returned a faint smile.

A moment later, everyone snapped out of their shock as if waking from a dream.

Everyone wore expressions of disbelief, their gazes fixed on Dao Xuan, filled with doubt and anticipation, eagerly hoping he would provide a reasonable explanation.

However, despite the intense gazes from the crowd, Dao Xuan seemed oblivious, keeping his lips tightly shut and showing no intention of explaining.

After all, what happened back then was too heavy for him to bear, making it difficult for him to talk about.

Just then, Wan Jianyi, who had been silent all along, noticed Dao Xuan's predicament.

He sighed softly, stepped forward, and spoke up to help Dao Xuan out of the predicament:

"The story of what happened back then is actually a long one..."