Chapter 2763 Grand Event Approaches

As though struck by a heavy club, Cao Beidou felt suffocated to the point of nearly vomiting blood. He had just claimed that Jin Zhongyue wasn’t qualified to command the Empty Hidden World, yet Lin Xun immediately turned those words against him, pointing to the existence of another mastermind behind Jin Zhongyue. It was as though Lin Xun had cast a brick only to draw out jade...

Unconsciously, Cao Beidou’s gaze shifted toward Fu Wenli. Though Fu Wenli’s face remained calm, a faint frown tugged at his brow, and beneath that composure radiated a cold, oppressive power that chilled the heart. The hall sank into suffocating silence.

In truth, every high-ranking figure present knew Jin Zhongyue was nothing more than a small pawn. However, none of them had expected Lin Xun to use this pawn to drag out the true mastermind behind the curtain.

“This matter...” Fu Wenli’s voice cut through the silence. “Our Origin Sky Pavilion will investigate thoroughly.” But from his tone, no one could tell what lay behind his words.

Xuan Feiling nodded. “Very well. Let Deputy Pavilion Master Fu take charge of this matter. He must provide both the sect and Lin Xun with a satisfactory explanation.”

Lin Xun was about to speak when Xuan Feiling’s calm, resonant voice echoed in his mind, “You’ve made your point. Push further, and the matter will only be left unresolved. Worse, you’ll stir up even deeper resentment from those already against you.”

Lin Xun nodded. He already knew this, but when the outcome unfolded before him, he couldn’t help but feel a trace of helplessness.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

......

That very day, the events in the Discipline Hall of Origin Sky Pavilion spread like wildfire through the Origin Sect, igniting endless debate.

“The conflict between Lin Xun and his enemies is reaching new heights...”

Many quickly realized that the assassins from Empty Hidden World were only a surface detail. The true cause was Lin Xun’s meteoric rise. He had risen too quickly, and those lofty figures who already despised him now felt threatened.

No one dared to say it out loud. Even the great figures were the same. They knew it perfectly well, but would never point it out.

“Even the Four Fiend Venerables failed to kill Lin Xun. Just how terrifying is his foundation?”

“That’s exactly why those big shots are afraid.”

“Clashes like this will only grow more frequent. Whether Lin Xun can overcome every storm, as he did this time, remains to be seen.”

“Unfortunately, Jin Zhongyue is destined to be the sacrificial lamb this time.”

While such whispers filled the sect, Lin Xun had quietly returned to his residence.

The very next day, Tao Leng arrived with news.

“Jin Zhongyue is finished.” Tao Leng whispered, “Today, Deputy Pavilion Master Fu Wenli issued an order, announced personally by Elder Cao Beidou. Last night, Jin Zhongyue, aware of the gravity of his sins and fearing his mistakes would disrupt the order of the sect, committed suicide to escape punishment.”

Lin Xun’s pupils contracted, a chill seeping into his heart. “Suicide...to escape punishment!”

His eyes darkened, his voice cold as frost. “Those old foxes are truly ruthless!”

Tao Leng replied with meaning, “This is the price of wrongdoing. Otherwise...would you accept it? Would those high-ranking figures of the sect accept it?”

Lin Xun sighed softly, “I just didn’t think they’d so easily dispose of Jin Zhongyue, a pinnacle Heavenly Longevity Stage Immortal, like this.”

Tao Leng corrected evenly, “He committed suicide to escape punishment.”

Lin Xun chuckled. “Is there a difference?”

Tao Leng also let out a faint chuckle. “To see the truth, but leave it unsaid...that is true wisdom.”

After a pause, he continued, “Also, Deputy Pavilion Master Xuan Feiling has issued a decree. Feng Qixi and Liu Yunfeng, who have been imprisoned in the Prison of Repentance, as well as Ninth Peak’s successor Huang Muji, and Seventh Peak’s successor, Xiang Xiaoyuan, will all be released today.”

Lin Xun’s spirits lifted. This was without question good news.

“Fu Wenli and Qi Xiaoyun agreed to that?” he asked.

“Even if they didn’t, they had no choice but to yield.” Then Tao Leng added seriously, “From now on, you cannot address those two deputy pavilion masters by name. Otherwise, it will be seen as disrespect...insubordination.”

Lin Xun smiled faintly, half exasperated, half amused. “Don’t worry. It won’t happen again.”

Not long after, Tao Leng took his leave. That afternoon, Lin Xun met with Feng Qixi and Liu Yunfeng. He personally arranged a banquet to welcome them back.

“I’m sorry you both had to suffer,” Lin Xun said with an apologetic smile as he lifted his glass.

Feng Qixi, dressed as always in her black martial attire, ponytail swaying lightly behind her, looked valiant and composed. She let out a faint sigh. “We didn’t suffer, but...I’m a little regretful that I wasn’t able to witness Brother Lin’s breakthrough.”

“Back then, it was under Cao Beidou’s order that Qi Lingzhen, Zhongli Ran, and the others seized us and locked us away in the Prison of Repentance,” Liu Yunfeng said. “But now, all four have been killed by Brother Lin. Why would I feel aggrieved? I only feel elated.”

As he spoke, he raised his cup with a smile. “If you truly see Miss Feng and me as friends, then enough with the apologies. Let’s drink.”

“Very well! Then let’s drink!” Lin Xun laughed, lifting his cup high.

That night, after the banquet, Lin Xun went to the Ninth Peak to visit his fellow disciples, Ye Chunjun, Huang Muji, Qin Ruoling, and the others.

Ye Chunjun and the others already knew that Lin Xun had gone out specifically to avenge Ye Chunjun, cutting down all Four Fiend Venerables in the process. The news left them deeply moved. There was no doubt that Lin Xun treated them as family.

After leaving the Ninth Peak, Lin Xun made his way to the Seventh Peak to visit Xiang Xiaoyuan, who too was overcome with emotion. The two talked for a long time before Lin Xun finally took his leave.

When he finally returned to his abode, a lightness settled over his heart as though a burden had been lifted.

“I’m only one small step away from reaching the advanced Heavenly Longevity Stage. Once I break through, I’ll be qualified to contend for the position of deacon...” Lin Xun reflected.

The requirements for becoming a deacon were notoriously harsh. However, no matter how severe they were, Lin Xun was determined to seize that position with everything he had.

The first prerequisite was simple: one had to stand firmly in the advanced Heavenly Longevity Stage. In truth, among the twelve deacons of the Origin Sky Pavilion, most had already stepped into the Nirvana Spirit Stage.

Only two or three still lingered in the Heavenly Longevity level, but all of them stood at its absolute pinnacle. Suppressing all distracting thoughts, Lin Xun sat down cross-legged, sinking into mediation.

After learning that his senior brother and the others were trapped in the Taiyu True Realm, Lin Xun felt a growing sense of urgency.

Ultimately, he had stepped onto the immortal path, but compared to those who had already reached Transcendence, he was still far behind. Only by constantly sharpening his strength could he truly aid his senior brothers and sisters of Fangchun Mountain in the future!

One month later, Tao Leng came to visit again, bringing news. The Nine Peaks Dao Contest, held once every thousand years, would begin in a month. He asked whether Lin Xun intended to take part.

Of course, it wasn’t to compete, but to help maintain order during this grand event. Lin Xun thought long and hard before shaking his head. The Nine Peaks Dao Contest was ultimately a competition among the core disciples of the nine peaks. To him, it held no appeal anymore.

“By then, the Spirit Sect, Zen Sect, and Shaman Sect will all send envoys. Even the Ten Immortal Giants of the Eighth Heaven Domain and the great powers of the Seventh Heaven Domain will send representatives to witness it. Do you really mean to miss such a gathering?”

At those words, Lin Xun instantly changed his mind and agreed.

Tao Leng chuckled, “I knew you wouldn’t pass up such a grand event.”

Soon, Tao Leng left. Lin Xun couldn’t help but feel anticipation stir in his chest.

Would the envoys from the Spirit Sect include my senior brothers and sisters of Fangchun Mountain?

Time flew swiftly. The day of the Nine Peaks Dao Contest drew near. Across the sect, the nine peaks’ core disciples had spent these recent days in intense training, conserving their strength in preparation for the approaching grand event.

Those who ranked in the top ten would earn the qualification to enter the three great pavilions for cultivation. As for the top three, they would receive the sect’s full support, gaining resources to aid their pursuit of immortality itself, and the right to choose any pavilion they wished.

For every core disciple, the Nine Peaks Dao Contest was a matter of both honor and destiny!

At the Ninth Peak, Qin Ruoling sighed, “What a pity Junior Brother Lin Xun advanced too quickly. Otherwise, this year’s first place would have belonged to our Ninth Peak without question.”

Her words drew sighs from Ye Chunjun, Huang Muji, Meng Haochen and the others. They had been cultivating on the Ninth Peak for years, yet none of them could compare to Lin Xun.

In barely over a year, he had risen from a true disciple to a core disciple, then to a member of the Origin Sky Pavilion, and now even deputy deacon! His meteoric rise shook the entire sect.

Unfortunately, at the same time, he was no longer qualified to participate in the Nine Peaks Dao Contest.

“Do you think our Ninth Peak has not been in the limelight enough? With Lin Xun here, the whole sect cannot help but notice us.”

Peak Master Qin Wuyu’s voice drifted from the distance, “In this Nine Peaks Dao Contest, don’t concern yourselves with rankings. Just fight with your own strength and that will be enough.”

“That’s right. As long as Lin Xun is here, no matter what heights he reaches in the future, he will always be someone who came from our Ninth Peak. Who in the sect would dare look down on our Ninth Peak now?” Ye Chunjun said with a smile. He recalled how, when Lin Xun first joined the sect, even the peak master Qin Wuyu had been rather resistant to him.

Now, whenever Lin Xun’s name was brought up, though Qin Wuyu tried his best to hide it, the pride etched between his brows and the tone of his voice, seeming troubled yet brimming with joy, betrayed his true feelings.

The day before the Nine Peaks Dao Contest, Tao Leng brought Lin Xun specific news. The Spirit Sect Ancestral Court was sending nine envoys.

They were to be led by Spirit Venerable Qing Yun, one of the Ten Great Spirit Venerables. The title of Spirit Venerable carried a rank equal to that of a deputy pavilion master of the Origin Sect.

Of the remaining eight, four were Spirit Lords, figures on par with elders of the Origin Sect’s three great pavilions. The last four were Spirit Nobles, a rank equivalent to the deacons of the three pavilions.

Lin Xun scanned the list Tao Leng handed him, and a familiar name immediately stood out.

Cheng Yu!

His sixth senior sister!

Lin Xun couldn’t help but recall a scene in his mind. Back in the Ancient Nebula Road, when they faced the Nameless Esteemed Emperor, a heaven-shaking game of chess broke out. One after another, his senior brothers and sisters from Fangchun Mountain arrived, revealing divine might that shook the heavens and earth.

Among them was his senior sister Cheng Yu. She was petite, with ear-length hair and a plain cloth robe that accentuated her natural grace. Her large eyes shone like stars, and her face was delicate and quietly elegant.

Her beauty was subtle, restrained, imbued with a pure, ethereal charm. To the unknowing eye, she might have seemed nothing more than a sweet, innocent girl next door. However, once she stepped onto the battlefield, she blazed with a fierce, domineering radiance. It was impossible to imagine that such a delicate frame could erupt with power that could shatter the heavens.

It was precisely this striking contrast between her gentle appearance and her terrifying strength that had left such a deep impression on Lin Xun.