Hearing the voice, Mu Yuqing hurriedly raised her head and asked, "What happened? Speak clearly, don't stammer."
The female steward quickly stepped forward to Mu Yuqing, respectfully presenting a stack of letters, and said, "Reporting to the Sect Master, these are messages sent from various branch divisions."
Mu Yuqing took the letters and examined them for a moment. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she muttered, "How could this be..."
"Sect Master, has something happened?"
Seeing this, the Grand Elder Changsun Wuji asked in confusion.
"Sigh..."
Hearing this, Mu Yuqing sighed and knew that these messages couldn't be kept hidden. She then handed the letters to the female steward and instructed her to distribute them to the elders of the Heavenly Demon Sect. "These are letters of plea for help from the branch divisions. They have suffered large-scale attacks from unknown enemies, resulting in heavy losses, and various resources have been plundered..."
Hearing her words, the elders quickly took the letters and began reading.
As they read, their faces suddenly changed dramatically, exclaiming, "How could this happen..."
The letters stated that some of the attackers targeting the Heavenly Demon Sect had been identified. Many small sects had taken advantage of the chaos to loot resources, and shockingly, there were traces of the Azure Cloud Alliance behind some of the enemies.
This was an enormous problem. The power of the Azure Cloud Alliance was well known throughout the entire Northern Horizon Continent.
The entire Heavenly Demon Sect was thrown into turmoil, causing widespread panic. The once peaceful atmosphere completely vanished, replaced by an oppressive and solemn killing intent.
"Sect Master, what do you plan to do?"
The Grand Elder Changsun Wuji frowned and asked.
"Sigh..."
Mu Yuqing let out a faint sigh and said helplessly, "What else can I do? Our only hope now is to summon the personnel from the branch divisions back, perhaps then we can turn the tide. But now, the branches have already suffered severe damage, and even if they return, it will be of no help... Sigh..."
Hearing this, the crowd fell into silence.
At this moment, the Third Elder Youming stepped forward with a sneer and said, "Sect Master, in my opinion, since this situation has already occurred, we might as well go with the flow."
"Go with the flow?"
Mu Yuqing raised her elegant brows slightly, looking at Youming with a hint of doubt. She asked, "Third Elder, what do you mean?"
"In my view, since the matter is already settled, we should simply let it be."
Youming said slowly, "After all, we cannot resist the combined forces of the Hehuan Sect and the Blood Refining Hall. Instead of fighting a losing battle, it would be better to agree to their demands. At the very least, we can preserve the foundation of our Heavenly Demon Sect for millions of years."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the Heavenly Demon Sect was stunned, looking at him in disbelief.
No one expected the usually low-key Third Elder Youming to say such words.
Anyone with eyes could see that even if they agreed to the Hehuan Sect and the Blood Refining Hall's demands, the Heavenly Demon Sect would inevitably become a subordinate sect of the two factions, forever losing its former glory.
This was no different from the destruction of the sect in essence.
However, the Third Elder had chosen to ignore the Heavenly Demon Sect's million-year foundation, which was utterly baffling.
"Youming, this is not like you. You never spoke this way before."
At the side, the Grand Elder Changsun Wuji couldn't help but mock, "I remember that the Third Elder Youming always used to declare that no matter what happened, he would live and die with the sect. Have you forgotten your own words?"
"Hehe, Wuji, this is merely a temporary strategy." Youming chuckled dryly.
"Temporary strategy?"
The Grand Elder Changsun Wuji shook his head and sneered, "Haha, how righteous of you. Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the world?"
"Ridicule means nothing. It is better than having our Heavenly Demon Sect wiped out!"
Hearing this, Youming coldly snorted, his expression indifferent.
"You—you are shameless!"
At this moment, Changsun Wuji was so furious that even his beard curled up.
"Hmph!"
In response, Youming swept his gaze over him with contempt and mocked, "Changsun Wuji, don't think I don't know your intentions. You're merely afraid that if the Heavenly Demon Sect falls into the hands of the Hehuan Sect or the Blood Refining Hall, your power and status will be lost, aren't you?"
"Hahahaha!"
Hearing this, Changsun Wuji laughed wildly and said, "Youming, you lowly scoundrel, let me tell you, as long as I and the Sect Master are here, the Hehuan Sect and the Blood Refining Hall can dream of controlling the Heavenly Demon Sect!"
After saying that, his aura suddenly surged several times over, resembling an unparalleled divine sword piercing the heavens, shocking everyone present.
Then, Changsun Wuji clasped his fists toward Mu Yuqing and said, "Sect Master, let this old man first eliminate the traitor in our sect before listening to your instructions."
With those words, he transformed into a streak of light, shooting straight toward Youming.
As the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Demon Sect and its Law Enforcement Elder, he naturally could not tolerate a traitor like Youming within the sect. He had to personally slay him to quell his fury.
"Old traitor Youming, surrender your life!"
Changsun Wuji roared, raising his right arm and swinging it through the air. His palm, carrying a terrifying pressure, slammed toward Youming.
"Changsun, just because you call me a traitor, does that mean I am one? If anything, you are the truly shameless one, old fool!"
Youming took out a red pill from his robe and sneered, "Old Seven, Old Eight, Old Nine, what are you waiting for? Help me kill this meddlesome old bastard!"
After speaking, his body radiated spiritual light, and he stomped on the ground, instantly soaring into the air to engage Changsun Wuji in battle.
In an instant, the entire grand hall erupted with explosions. Spiritual light flashed continuously, and deafening booms resounded. The two fought with unparalleled ferocity.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged dozens of blows.
Although Changsun Wuji's cultivation was high, Youming was not weak. Especially after taking the red pill, he managed to fight on par with the sect's strongest cultivator for the time being.
Seeing this, the Seventh Elder Qiushan, the Eighth Elder Changjian, and the Ninth Elder Moyuan exchanged glances before simultaneously joining the battle, their bodies emanating a powerful killing aura as they lunged at Changsun Wuji.
Facing the siege of Youming and the other three elders, Changsun Wuji showed no fear. A dazzling black radiance burst from his body, enveloping him completely. A towering murderous aura spread across the hall.
However, deep down, he felt a tinge of sorrow and thought, "Hahaha... I never expected our Heavenly Demon Sect to produce such traitors!"
The moment he saw Youming swallow that pill from the Blood Refining Hall, he knew that Youming had already betrayed the sect.
He never imagined that within the Heavenly Demon Sect, which had existed for millions of years, so many traitors would emerge—and they were all high-ranking elders.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle raged fiercely. In just a few moments, they had exchanged nearly a thousand moves.
Since Youming and the other three elders had secretly conspired beforehand, the moment the battle began, Youming secretly transmitted instructions to them, directing them to attack Changsun Wuji's vital points.
As expected, facing their joint assault, Changsun Wuji immediately revealed a fatal weakness.
Seeing this, Youming seized the opportunity and delivered a vicious palm strike just as Changsun Wuji's defenses slackened for a brief moment.
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