The cloud-sky palace was so magnificent and imposing that it didn't seem to belong to the mortal realm.
Even the ground was paved with jade, exuding the utmost fairy-like spiritual energy.
"Uncle Rain."
The cultivators along the way were dressed in white robes, all possessing righteous appearances.
At a single glance, one could tell they were disciples of the noble orthodox path.
They respectfully bowed in greeting, bringing their palms together with the pads of their thumbs and four fingers touching, forming the posture of the Three Realms.
The receiver of the greetings was eight feet tall. Wearing a blue robe engraved with complex patterns, with broad shoulders and dangling ornaments, he appeared even more burly.
The man's facial features were sharply defined yet fair, with blue teardrop moles under both eyes.
His flowing hair gave him a slightly feminine look without losing his majestic bearing.
Giving a slight nod, he took a single step and was already a hundred meters away.
With both hands tucked into the sleeves of his long robe, this person arrived at the entrance of the Peerless Hall's main hall.
A woman sat cross-legged inside.
Her appearance caused any beautiful thing in the world to pale in comparison beside her.
Her hands formed a circle at her Dantian; spiritual energy transformed into a surge of a hundred flowers, gently lifting her dark hair.
"Reporting to the Matriarch, your subordinate is departing for Azure Cloud and has come specifically to inform you."
The woman on the seat didn't even raise her eyes.
She visibly frowned, pondering for a moment before nodding slightly.
Only then did Uncle Rain straighten his slightly bowed body, vanishing from his spot in an instant.
When he reappeared, his face was gloomy and cold.
"Mu Xueqing, Min Tiange... just because of you two little brats, do you think you are worthy to hold the power of the Peerless Hall and be my masters?"
"If it weren't for..."
Uncle Rain gently patted his chest and slowly walked out of the Peerless Hall.
Instantly, a crowd of a hundred people closely followed behind him.
In front of the group of Peerless Hall disciples, he said in a low voice,
"The Azure Cloud Prefecture holds a massive secret. Now that Min Tiange is in the Western Frontier, wait until I gain something there, and we will see what his Dao Seed can do to me."
"After the battle at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, the Huan Gui came to be used by the Li Clan, and Holy Monk Yidian vanished after breaking the Dao Seed.
The people of the Li Clan participated in the battle at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems; perhaps they know some hidden secrets."
...
"Daoist Lingyin, please come in."
"Little friend Su, I trust you have been well?"
"Sigh, I didn't expect that after several millennia, my fellow Daoist has still not broken through to the Void Refining realm. Please come in quickly.
Whether this twist of fate allows you to reach the Void Refining realm depends on today."
"..."
Clearpeak Prefecture, located to the northeast of Westfall Prefecture.
Here lay another grand Grotto-Heaven, known as the Bamboo Grove Path.
Zishu Ling, Perfected Qiuyue, and their ilk could be seen waiting at the entrance.
In just a short span of ten days, they had welcomed over a hundred guests.
These arriving cultivators had to present the list that Wenren Xianyi had previously sent out before they were permitted to enter.
These guests seemed to share a tacit understanding, coming alone.
They only spoke of recent events and news or exchanged greetings with old acquaintances.
"Ten days, in merely ten days, so many fellow Daoists have arrived."
Perfected Qiuyue sighed, the satisfaction in his brow refusing to fade.
The memory of the day he was forced to kneel before Li Chang remained vivid in his mind, making him yearn day and night to completely exterminate the arrogant and domineering Li Clan.
Today, with the arrival of these fellow Daoists, he saw hope!
Beside him, Zishu Ling's eyes were already gleaming, silently counting the auras of the guests within the Grotto-Heaven.
"The Divine Calculator of the Southern Sea, whose predictions never fail.
If he hadn't been driven out of the Imperial Dynasty at the Void Refining realm, he likely wouldn't have stopped at this level."
"The Thousand-Faced Swordsman, mid-stage Void Refining realm.
He broke his seclusion three hundred years ago and delivered a breathtaking sword strike in the Northern Frontier, slaying an Exalted Demon."
"The Nine-Turn Pegasus of the Monster Race, Exalted Demon Ma Wensheng!"
"..."
Zishu Ling couldn't contain her joy.
When she emerged to deal with the Azure Cloud Li Clan over the 'Ten Deadly Sins' back then, it was for nothing else but today's grand occasion!
The royal family was in decline, and the demon empress controlled the court administration.
As a descendant of the Zishu family, her only goal was to turn the tide.
Who knew that the demon empress Wenren Xianyi had already taken root too deeply in the Imperial Dynasty, controlling the divine palaces and numerous factions, unmovable like an ageless green mountain.
Now that powerful experts had gathered, once the Li Clan was exterminated, these experts would heed her words and be used by her.
In the future, she would have the foundation to contend with Wenren Xianyi.
She hurriedly went to test the waters, heading into the main hall to get acquainted with them one by one.
The others didn't pay much attention to Zishu Ling, but Gongyang Ju frowned continuously, looking at Li Chuyuan beside him, who was clenching his fists tightly and gulping.
One look was enough to tell that this kid had never seen such a grand scene before; just look at how excited he was.
Looking again at the various people harboring their own ulterior motives, with over a hundred people in the main hall, their scheming thoughts could probably fill the entire Grotto-Heaven.
He silently cursed them as a 'motley crew' in his heart.
Soon after, he turned to Perfected Qiuyue and asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you truly certain you want to charge at the Li Clan like this?"
"The Li Clan is internally empty. The only one worth noting is their elusive Old Ancestor," Perfected Qiuyue calmed his heart and said in a deep voice.
"Relying on the people we have here is more than enough. Furthermore, we have other friends."
"Phew."
Gongyang Ju exhaled a breath of air, pointed inside the Grotto-Heaven, and said solemnly,
"These fellow Daoists are all people on the list. But ten years have passed; can you be certain that none of them are secretly in contact with the Li Clan? There must be.
This means the news that we are about to make a move is already known to the Li Clan."
"You are wrong."
Perfected Qiuyue was not angered by this. On the contrary, he was pleased that Gongyang Ju was pouring cold water at a time like this.
He replied, "Perhaps they were before. But they have no ties or kinship with the Li Clan. Now that we have ample manpower, do you think they would still risk their lives for the Li Clan?"
Gongyang Ju raised an eyebrow.
Perfected Qiuyue continued,
"They will go mad with greed. The Li Clan is currently a mountain of Spirit Stones; even the most foolish person wouldn't help the Li Clan now.
What we should be considering now is how to secure the greatest benefits when the Li Clan is exterminated!"
"Moreover, to deal with the Li Clan's Old Ancestor, I have invited someone." Perfected Qiuyue let out a cold sneer.