"Is there no way to break the spell?"
Yun Lan replied, "Brothers, if we want to break it, we must continue to use the Heavenly Dao Plate to deduce where that Azure Dragon comes from, so we can figure out a solution..."
The kindly old man nodded and said slowly, "Brothers, the Heavenly Dao Plate is with me, let us deduce once more the fate of our Heavenly Dao Sect together..."
"We will obey Brother’s command..."
In an instant, dozens of beams of light fell on the Heavenly Dao Plate. Several hours later, on the floating peak of the Heavenly Dao Sect, everyone was frowning, neither speaking nor opening their eyes.
A crane’s cry rang out, and the kindly old man slowly opened his eyes and said, "Brothers, what did you see?"
Yun Lan spoke softly, "Brother, I only saw that Azure Dragon soaring into the sky, nothing more."
"And you?"
A man with a fearful expression replied, "Brother, I saw thick fog, so dense I couldn’t see the Azure Dragon. Suddenly, it came out of nowhere and swallowed me whole."
The kindly old man’s face grew solemn as he said indifferently, "Each of you, tell me what you saw!"
"Yes, Brother!"
"Brother, I saw that Azure Dragon pierce my chest with a single claw..."
"In the haze, I couldn’t see clearly. Our Heavenly Dao Sect had blood or water flowing on the ground, forming rivers of limbs and dismembered bodies, piling into mountains..."
"I saw..."
After everyone finished speaking, the kindly old man sighed heavily.
"Sigh!"
"It seems that this time, our Heavenly Dao Sect is doomed."
Yun Lan frowned and asked, "Brother, did you see where that Azure Dragon came from?"
The kindly old man shook his head.
"Phew!"
Everyone exhaled a breath of relief.
"What should we do? Is Heaven really going to destroy our Heavenly Dao Sect..."
"Our Heavenly Dao Sect has dominated the Mortal Domain for hundreds of thousands of years, but now, is it truly going to decline because of that old Azure Dragon?"
"Sigh..."
The kindly old man sighed deeply.
"Brothers, for the next hundred years, none of us should ascend to the Immortal World. This time, we will resist that Azure Dragon together!"
Yun Lan frowned and said, "Brother, judging from our deductions, resisting that Azure Dragon is obviously futile. Why don’t we follow the Heavenly Dao?"
"Oh..."
"Brother Yun Lan, why don’t you share your insights!"
Yun Lan spoke slowly, "Brother, that Azure Dragon comes fiercely and unstoppably. If we resist with all our might, our Heavenly Dao Sect will surely meet the same fate as the deductions—a river of blood and bodies everywhere."
"I know all of this, just tell me what to do!"
The kindly old man’s face was no longer kind.
"Brother, why don’t we disband the Heavenly Dao Sect?"
"What?"
"Disband the Heavenly Dao Sect, impossible, impossible..."
Everyone disagreed with Yun Lan’s suggestion.
The old man with a youthful appearance and white hair said slowly, "Brother Yun Lan, if we disband the Heavenly Dao Sect, wouldn’t we be easily constrained by others? What will happen to the millions of our sect’s disciples?"
"Ha!"
Yun Lan smiled.
"That would be better than dying in resistance against that Azure Dragon."
"Yun Lan!"
Yun Lan bowed his head and said, "Elder Brother!"
"No more discussion, let me think about it!"
Yun Lan raised his eyebrows, his face beaming with joy.
"Elder Brother, are you agreeing with my proposal?"
Yun Lan did not receive his Elder Brother’s reply. After a long silence, he finally heard his Elder Brother say slowly, "Brothers, implement it as Brother Yun Lan suggests."
"Elder Brother!"
"This cannot be!"
"Elder Brother, we cannot disband the Heavenly Dao Sect..."
Everyone opposed vigorously.
The kindly old man, with stern eyes, said, "No more objections, my decision is final."
Yun Lan added, "Elder Brother, the root of our Heavenly Dao Sect’s disbandment lies in the disaster caused by the Azure Dragon. Brother, in my opinion, after disbandment, we can instruct our disciples to go to various places of Dragon Origin to look for that Azure Dragon. When the Bright Lord appears, we shall assist him in uniting the Azure Dragon. Then our Heavenly Dao Sect can rise again, thus resolving the foretold disaster!"
The kindly old man lowered his head in deep thought.
"Did Brother Yun Lan see something? Otherwise, why would he mention assisting the Bright Lord? This imperial system is something exclusive to the mortal world..."
"Sigh!"
The kindly old man sighed, "Brothers, just follow your Second Brother Yun Lan’s plan."
"We will obey Elder Brother’s decree..."
These ancestor-level figures of the Heavenly Dao Sect, though they were highly reluctant to disband the sect, had to follow orders from their Elder Brother.
In the Cultivation World, the elder brother is like a teacher. If the master is not present, any command from the elder brother must be heeded. If anyone disobeys, the elder brother has the authority to cleanse the sect in place of their master...
Overnight, all disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated from the Mortal World. No one knew where they had gone.
The news of the Heavenly Dao Sect’s disbandment spread rapidly, causing the situation on Dragon Origin Star to become turbulent instantly.
Those sect forces that had previously been dependent on the Heavenly Dao Sect now sought new protection, inciting conflicts among other sect forces. The Cultivation World on Dragon Origin Star was now rife with hidden currents and looming crises...
...
In the Mortal Domain’s Netherworld, under the grey sky, Yan Rufeng flew with Yi Mu over the land of gathered spirits and arrived at Meng Po Pavilion.
"Brother Rufeng!"
Meng Xiaopo blinked and smiled at Yan Rufeng.
"Sister Meng, it’s been nearly ten thousand years since I’ve seen your true form. You are still as beautiful as ever."
"Hee hee!"
Meng Xiaopo smiled warmly and said, "Rufeng, don’t be so glib in front of your Sister!"
Yi Mu, who had been observing Meng Xiaopo, pouted and said, "Are you the legendary Meng Po?"
"Hee hee!"
"Niuniu, I’m so happy to see you and Brother Rufeng come to visit me!"
"Eek!"
Yi Mu exclaimed in surprise, "How do you know I’m called Niuniu?"
"Are you not?" Meng Xiaopo asked seriously.
Yan Rufeng smiled gently.
"Sister Meng, she is Mumu. Niuniu got separated from me, and I haven’t found her yet. This time, I came to ask if you have any news about Niuniu."
"Hee hee!"
Meng Xiaopo smiled brightly.
"Brother Rufeng, why are you looking for Niuniu here? She is Niuniu."
Yan Rufeng was astonished, "Sister Meng, she can’t be Niuniu, it’s impossible. If she is Niuniu, then who is Mumu? She is Yi Mu, not Niuniu."
"Haha..."
Meng Xiaopo laughed heartily, "Brother Rufeng, I won’t tease you anymore. The Three-Life Stone doesn’t lie, go have a look, and you’ll see clearly."
In front of the Three-Life Stone, Yi Mu raised her hand and gently placed it down.
At that moment, the image of Niuniu appeared before Yan Rufeng’s eyes, clearly showing the scene when he took Niuniu as his disciple in the suburb of Jinling City...