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Without hesitation, the three stepped onto the teleportation array. Their forms twisted, and they vanished from the Demon Prison Tower.
Shuming watched them go, his eyes cold. He snorted and concealed himself.
He had been tricked into becoming the Prison-Suppressing Bright King, and he was no saint to begin with. His heart was filled with evil intentions. If he hadn't been uncertain of his chances against Qin Yi and Jiang Qing, he would have left them here.
It was precisely because of their strength that he had been so eager to send them away.
On Mount Shu, chaos reigned. Broken swords lay scattered across the blood-soaked cobblestone paths, and once orderly rows of buildings were now tilted and damaged. Fires raged unchecked in places where they hadn't been extinguished, burning fiercely and endlessly.
The fierce battle against the Venerable Devil had ended. Though Mount Shu had not been defeated, they had suffered heavy losses.
Thirty-six elite disciples, forming a Sword Array, had clashed with the Venerable Devil. While they had repelled their foe, thirty of their number had perished. Chang Hao, the Sect Lord of Mount Shu, was severely wounded, coughing up blood, and his face ashen.
During Qin Yi's time in the tower, Mount Shu had clashed with the Venerable Devil twice more. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, with the Venerable Devil's forces nearly annihilated, forcing them to flee and hide.
On the Sword Qi Platform, three figures materialized.
The surroundings were a wasteland of destruction. Compared to Mount Shu's former bustling and carefree atmosphere, a sense of desolation and tension now hung in the air.
"Let's go see Chang Hao," Qin Yi said, his gaze sweeping across the scene, taking in the full extent of Mount Shu's current state. He sighed.
Despite the advantageous situation for him, the atmosphere of desolation still made Qin Yi reluctant to face it. Jiang Qing beside him was even more uncomfortable, his eyes flickering and his fists clenched tightly.
Finally, Qin Yi sighed deeply.
"I won't go, Senior Martial Uncle."
"Tell me where the Magnificent Qin Faction is, and I'll wait for you there!"
Qin Yi paused, then nodded. "Very well."
Five breaths later, Jiang Qing closed his eyes and ascended into the sky with Yue Rouxia, vanishing in a flash of sword light on the horizon.
Since he couldn't face it, Jiang Qing chose not to.
After standing still for a moment, Qin Yi took a step forward.
He used the technique of "Shrinking the Earth to an Inch," swiftly traversing Mount Shu. While Jiang Qing might feel awkward and ashamed, Qin Yi, who cultivated the Dao of Freedom, felt no such emotions.
A minute later, he stood before the Everlasting Pavilion.
With another step forward, Qin Yi entered the Everlasting Pavilion.
"You've come out," a frail voice echoed as soon as he stepped inside.
Qin Yi looked up, his pupils contracting sharply. "You!"
The speaker was Chang Hao. His hair and beard were now completely white, his face etched with wrinkles, and his eyes clouded. He looked decades older, as if he had aged a millennium in an instant, leaving Qin Yi stunned.
Those who cultivate the Way, once they reach a certain level, may not achieve eternal youth, but they certainly shouldn't age so rapidly. Qin Yi had only been away for a few days!
"In the battle against the Venerable Devil, Mount Shu won, but I..."
Chang Hao shook his head. Though his voice still carried a semblance of vitality, Qin Yi knew that Chang Hao's heart, his Dantian, and the indestructible qi he held within had all been damaged.
He's been severely wounded. His days are numbered.
"I'm no longer fit to be the Sect Lord of Mount Shu."
Chang Hao's cloudy eyes turned to Qin Yi as he spoke softly.
"I had planned to pass the Sect Lord position to Jiang Qing. Now that you've returned, where is he?"
"He's gone!" Qin Yi replied.
"I know Jiang Qing's character. He couldn't face the truth, nor could he abandon the Venerable Devil's daughter."
After two coughs, a flush crept into Chang Hao's cheeks, and his words flowed more smoothly.
"Therefore, I intend to pass the Sect Lord position to you."
Qin Yi was stunned. He interrupted, "You want to make me the Sect Lord of Mount Shu?"
This Chang Hao... has he gone mad? Everyone in Mount Shu knew about the feud between the two of them! Moreover, Chang Hao was known for his stubbornness and narrow-mindedness. His current behavior truly shocked Qin Yi.
"That's right. With Jiang Qing gone and Dugu Yuyun still lacking experience, I can only give you the position of Mount Shu Sect Lord!"
Chang Hao nodded, his voice deep and resolute.
As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Qin Yi and uttered a sentence that left him stunned.
"Besides, isn't this exactly what you wanted all along?"
Qin Yi fell silent.
He had indeed planned this entire affair. From his battle with Chang Hao to his later rescue of Jiang Qing, and even his current appearance before Chang Hao, everything had been carefully orchestrated.
Having intimate knowledge of the story's progression, he could subtly alter the established narrative to his advantage.
"Fight me and prove you possess the strength of a Sect Lord, the qualifications to inherit the position, and extraordinary talent!"
"Rescue Jiang Qing to demonstrate your loyalty and counteract the negative impact of your love for the Demoness."
"By appearing before me now, you've left me with no choice but to choose you."
Chang Hao spoke Qin Yi's thoughts calmly, his expression neutral, devoid of any anger.
Qin Yi remained expressionless, staring at the old Sect Lord kneeling before him.
"So, you're still going to hand over the Sect Lord position to me?"
"I know you harbor a vast ambition, one that even Mount Shu cannot satisfy. If I could, I would rather die than entrust you with the Sect Lord position."
"But now, I have no choice."
"You've given me no choice but to choose you."
Shaking his head, Chang Hao sighed deeply.
"Mount Shu needs you now!"
With those words, the conversation ended.
The next day, Chang Hao announced in the Everlasting Pavilion that he was passing the Sect Lord position to Qin Yi.
With this, Qin Yi became the twenty-fifth Sect Lord of Mount Shu, overseeing all its affairs and becoming the greatest representative and symbol of the entire Immortal's Way. He held the supreme Divine Decree (Oracle), ruling over both the cultivators and the common people.
On this day, Qin Yi, his expression stern and clad in a green robe, grasped the Mount Shu Sect Lord's seal and moved into the Everlasting Pavilion.
His ascension to Sect Lord of Mount Shu sent the name echoing throughout the entire Cultivation's Way realm.
Three days later, Qin Yi stepped out of Mount Shu, alone with his sword, to confront the world and hunt down the demonic creatures that had escaped during the battle against the Venerable Devil.
The injured Venerable Devil, facing Qin Yi's overwhelming power, chose to hide, too afraid to show itself.
Flag Bearer Kong Lin was subdued by Qin Yi in just three moves and imprisoned in the Demon Prison Tower. In addition, Qin Yi suppressed a total of 132 other Venerable Devil followers, both major and minor.
At this moment, Qin Yi's name, the Daimyo of Qin, spread throughout the world, feared by countless demons and dreaded by his peers.
The new Sect Lord of Mount Shu's aura was even more domineering and overbearing than any of his predecessors, like a mortal emperor, high above the world, his presence sharp and imperious.
He had done all this to intimidate, consolidate his position, and display his power.
Qin Yi's strategy had been remarkably effective. By the fourth day, the entire martial world had fallen into an unprecedented calm. The hundred demons had vanished, and the demons had disappeared without a trace, ushering in an era of peace.
On that same day, Qin Yi prepared to return to Mount Shu, sword in hand.
At the same moment, Chang Hao gripped the Big Dipper beside him. His aged body swayed precariously, yet he stubbornly stood upright.
"Must you really do this, Sect Lord?" Dugu Yuyun sighed, his expression complex.
"Only by severing his emotional ties will he grow stronger, and Mount Shu will reach its golden age!"
"This golden age will not be the false prosperity Xu Zhangqing had envisioned, but a true and lasting one!"
"The situation where the balance of power is broken, and the Immortal Land collapses, will never happen again."
"With him, Mount Shu will truly enter an unimaginable era, and he will become the second great hero after Mount Shu's ancestor, Ancestor Taiching, becoming a legend!"
"But with her, it's impossible."
Chang Hao slowly walked to the door.
"I am already a withered piece of wood, and I have made many mistakes."
"But in this lifetime, if I can just do one thing right..."
"Then I can say I haven't failed Mount Shu!"
As he stepped out, Chang Hao's back appeared incredibly tall in Dugu Yuyun's eyes.
"Let me die with meaning!"
The lingering echo faded as Dugu Yuyun closed his eyes, tears forming beneath his eyelids.
(End of Chapter)