In the Gu family's back garden.
Xuan Qingzi's brows were currently furrowed. After listening to the little doll's narration, his face shifted from green to pale, then from pale to purple.
Finally, it coalesced into an angry roar.
"How dare they! What a audacious Blood Fiend, to actually dare to extend their hand into the high echelons of my Xuan Gate, and even try to play tricks right under this old man's nose! They truly don't put this old man in their eyes!"
His whiskers and hair bristled in anger; his appearance bespoke extreme fury. Yao Yao, from the side, softly fanned the flames.
"Grandpa Xuan Qingzi, the Xuan Gate has ninth-rank existences, you know. It's possible there's truly power that could destroy the Xuan Gate.
"Our high-ranking forces are already not as strong as theirs. If we're not a united front, then it's all over!"
Yao Yao's little face was utterly serious as she spoke, deliberately exaggerating some points. Seventh Brother said that to be alarmist, one must speak half-truths, only then would the other party take the bait.
At this moment, she didn't mention that the evil cultivator was likely the "Human Emperor." After all, if the enemy was too strong, it wouldn't be a struggle, but rather a direct surrender to fate.
A "Human Emperor" realm cultivator, currently restricted by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, even if they could act, their power would be limited.
They might even be less intimidating than a ninth-rank cultivator, as a ninth-rank cultivator was unhindered and their cultivation overwhelmingly suppressed the Xuan Gate, enough to frighten this old man.
As expected, the existence of a ninth-rank cultivator made Xuan Qingzi's expression turn even uglier.
He took a step back, bowed to Yao Yao, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, little friend, for not withholding this secret list of internal traitors.
"As the leader of the Xuan Gate, this old man bears the responsibility of rectifying and reorganizing it. Thus, with so many responsibilities, this old man cannot trouble your esteemed residence any further. I shall take my leave now."
Xuan Qingzi's words sounded righteous, and at first listen, there seemed to be nothing wrong with them. Yet, Gu Yu felt they were very feigned.
After all, this old man had been in charge of the Xuan Gate for so many years and wasn't new to dealing with evil cultivators. How could he be completely unaware of their high-level infiltration into the Xuan Gate?
In fact, he had long suspected many sect elders. His current agitation certainly contained a large element of acting.
He glanced at his sister, whose eyes were sparkling and whose face revealed everything. His mouth twitched; she was truly still too naive!
Regardless, the person eventually left.
This made Yao Yao so happy that she ate six extra bowls of rice for lunch.
...
Wudang, Golden Summit.
Xuan Qingzi, his clothes tattered, slowly walked into the True Martial Hall.
He lay down on a bright yellow meditation cushion, then raised a hand. The wine gourd held by the statue of the deity in the main hall flew into his hand.
He used his teeth to pry open the gourd's mouth, took several large gulps of strong liquor, and then let out a sigh of satisfaction.
"How refreshing! Those fine wines of the mortal world are indeed far inferior to this old man's 'Immortal's Delight'!"
He ungracefully rolled over and pulled out a list from his clothing pocket with his fingers.
"Blood Fiend Master, your reach is truly long. If I let you continue for a few more decades, I, the leader of the Xuan Gate, might have to hand over my position to you."
Xuan Qingzi looked at the several quite familiar names on the paper. Their positions in their respective sects were not low.
His murky eyes held an unreadable gloom.
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, he burst out laughing.
"Such a meticulously planned scheme, unearthed just like that, and you didn't even notice?"
"No wonder the divination on the Heavenly Machine Disk pointed to the little doll from the Gu family. There truly is a sign of breaking the deadlock!"
Xuan Qingzi thought of the little doll, her face full of vigilance when she looked at him, and the smile in his eyes deepened.
She had underestimated this old man!
This old man, after all, was the leader of the Xuan Gate. He personally moved down the mountain not simply for a casual inquiry.
The main reason was the divination he had performed on the spur of the moment.
And this divination concerned the Xuan Gate's predicament.
For years, the Xuan Gate had accumulated numerous problems, like an old wooden carving, with many parts beginning to rot.
If it were to recuperate and recover, it might still cling to existence for a while.
But where in this world were there such peaceful days? The first challenge was the increasingly powerful evil cultivator organization.
Their methods alone were already forcing the Xuan Gate to constantly struggle to cope.
After decades of confrontation, the Xuan Gate was already battered and bruised, with many major sects even lacking a seventh-rank master to preside over them.
Meanwhile, evil cultivators used dark arts to refine blood pills to enhance their cultivation, making their training much easier than that of ordinary cultivators.
They also constantly deluded cultivators from various sects, leading them astray.
With this inverse growth, the Xuan Gate became increasingly powerless against the evil cultivators.
If it weren't for a mishap in the Blood Fiend Master's cultivation, causing his progress to reverse, the Xuan Gate would have already been annihilated by now.
"This old man cannot cross the threshold of the ninth rank. Now, there are rising waves surpassing this old man; this is a great joy!"
"These people in the Xuan Gate, their vision is too narrow."
Xuan Qingzi sighed faintly. Those people believed that he would be wary of the Gu family's little doll.
But in reality? He was already half a foot in the grave; why bother vying for the empty title of "Xuan Gate's foremost"?
He was even grateful to that anonymous fellow cultivator for raising such a young disciple.
"This old man cannot deal with the Blood Fiend Master, but I can help you, little doll, stabilize the Xuan Gate."
"Little doll, break through to the ninth rank soon... That one is almost unable to restrain himself..."
During those few days at the Gu family, he had gained some understanding of the little doll's character.
She was a good child with her own ideas and a proper foundation. Though she didn't speak of grand national righteousness, she could at least distinguish right from wrong.
If a great calamity truly befell them, within her capabilities, she should not be stingy in offering help. Just this point alone was enough for him.
Xuan Qingzi's eyes held an unreadable expression. He slowly closed his eyes, as if an old monk entering samadhi.
And within the vast True Martial Hall, his voice echoed like a lingering melody, enduring for a long time.
...
At this moment, Yao Yao had no idea that she was already on someone's mind.
With no one constantly testing her at home, Yao Yao returned to her usual lively and cheerful self, eating and drinking as she pleased.
In her leisure time, she would pull out many talismans to draw, as the demand was now very high.
Driven by the live broadcast, the Fire Cloud Temple's tourists were truly endless, even more bustling than many large temples in the capital.
The temple's incense offerings were incredibly prosperous. If one were to look down from the sky, they would see a faint wisp of green smoke lingering above the Daoist temple.
The current changes in the Daoist temple could be said to have delighted Senior Uncle Qingyun and her master beyond words.
However, it did make her somewhat burdened with drawing peace talismans.
"It's alright, as long as Master is happy."
"After some more time, I'll do as Seventh Brother said and limit the number issued daily, then I'll be able to relax!"
Yao Yao's wrist was getting tired from writing. She propped up her head and popped a soft coconut milk square into her mouth.
The rich milky fragrance melted in her mouth, instantly smoothing out her furrowed brows.
Suddenly, at that moment, her phone watch jingled.
Yao Yao looked down. The caller was none other than the Senior Uncle she had just been thinking of.
She paused, then tapped to answer. But before she could even speak, she heard her Senior Uncle's panicked voice transmit through.
"Yao Yao, something big has happened!"
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