At the edge of the Azure Clion, b the Endless Forest, there was a tall mountaih it y a city where cultivators resided. There was also a tall tower, and at its ter, even in broad daylight, sat a giao was clearly a supreme-grade Spirit on, something that experts would fight over, yet it was guarded by only a single Qi Refining cultivator.

  Especially at the very top of this tower, reag into the clouds, a formation was embedded within.

  At this moment, Yu Xian, the former Pavilion Master of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, stood fag the wind. The kind-faced elder's white robes billowed, his pale hair whipped back by the strong wind. He appeared even older than before, yet his figure was incredibly imposing.

  "Whoosh!"

  In a fsh, a figure appeared beside Yu Xian.

  It was Li Yaowen!

  But this time, she wasn't in her wheelchair. Instead, she stood, shoulder to shoulder with Yu Xian.

  The two of them stood at the highest point in the Azure Clion, gazing at the sery in the distahere were lush green forests, stretg endlessly. No one knew what secrets were hidden within those forests.

  And beyond the Endless Forest y the ey of Azure Clion.

  Cities, oer another, represehe prosperity and glory of the Azure Clion.

  But from this high vantage point, everything in the Azure Clion seemed so small and fragile, as if they could easily crush it all within their grasp.

  They remained silent for a long time.

  Li Wei, in front of the s, was also speechless for a long while. He took a deep breath and quietly watched the beautiful sery of the Azure Clion along with Li Yaowen and that fellow Yu Xian.

  After an unknown amount of time, Yu Xian stretched out his hand, as if trying to grasp the wind of Azure Clion. His aged voice rang out, filled with pride.

  "Across from Azure Cliohe Endless Forest," he began, "where the Wu resides. They are close to nature and practiorthodox methods."

  "One hundred and thirty thousand years ago, at the beginning of the dynasty's turmoil, the Wu emerged with their demonic beasts, attempting to seize our pure nd of Azure Clion Only the Azure Cloud Pavilion remaio protect everyone."

  He then poio another location. "Lord of Dawn," he said, "look over there. That was once also territory of our dynasty, a city."

  Li Yaowen looked over.

  That pce... was now covered in forests.

  She couldn't help but wonder how prosperous that city must have been back then. It likely had various sects and s, and perhaps... a family like the Li family.

  Li Yaowen shook her head. "The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's pass," she asked, "did you tamper with it?"

  Li Wei's fiapped on the desk in front of the s.

  Over the years, the Li family had always been pnning and scheming. Back then, he and Li Yaowen hadn't thought so far ahead. They simply wahe Li family's desdants to return home, to their aral nd, to live a peaceful life, and for the Li family to bee invincible in the Azure Clion.

  All along, this was also Li Yaowen's pn. But gradually, they realized that there was a hand in the gloomy sky, suffog the Li family.

  And that person wasn't the entire Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, but one individual within it—Yu Xian!

  This fellow had multiple identities. He had once released Li Tianming, even leading the Li family to believe that he was a reasonable and uanding man.

  "Indeed."

  Yu Xian gave a wry smile. "This was the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's method," he admitted. "They had me find Huang Xiujin, obtain your Li family's belongings, and use the Destiny pass to track your whereabouts."

  "This way, your Li family would have o hide."

  "The ultimate goal was for the Li family, the Skyveil Sect, Bck Tortoise Sect, and even the Jun Prince's Mansion to fight to the death with the nine major forces."

  "This is what the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion desired, not what I wanted."

  "But I never expected..."

  "...that your Li family would be so well-prepared. The twenty-three remnant souls of the Azure Cloud Pavilion's aors, even I, who was ohe Pavilion Master, didn't know about their existe seems my as were unnecessary."

  Li Yaowen furrowed her brow. "Thank you," she said.

  In truth, she felt flicted. All this time, the Li family had been searg for the forces secretly targeting them.

  Now that she had finally found them, she discovered that Yu Xian was both targeting and helping the Li family. This tradiade her unsure of how to proceed...

  After all, she didn't want to kill someone who was already nearing the end of their life.

  "Actually, in Azure Clion, there were inally only two chess pyers: the Jun Prince's Mansion and the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

  "The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's goal is simple: they just want to destroy Azure Clion. Lord Feng Qingyang... he's a moo gain plete trol of Azure Clion for the Jun Prince's Mansion, he would do anything."

  Hearing this, both Li Yaowen and Li Wei nodded.

  Through their iigations over the years, they had already discovered this.

  The true answer y with the Wu the Endless Forest.

  Feng Qingyang was waiting for chaos to engulf the Azure Clion, waiting for the various fas to fight to the death!

  This way, the Wu would undoubtedly gather their experts and, taking advantage of the deaths of Azure Clion's cultivators, recreate the camity of one hundred and thirty thousand years ago.

  Those who survived would bee the future rulers of the Azure Clion!

  When Li Wei first heard this news, he couldn't believe it.

  Later, he uood. Feng Qingyang was only a little over seven hundred years old. He could even potentially break through to the stage after taking trol of the Azure Clion.

  "That day, when your Li family built the 'Tower' outside the Azure Cloud Pavilion," Yu Xian said, "I saw it."

  Yu Xian smiled. "I saw that your Li family was different from the others," he tinued. "You were like awakened lions. And I also saw..."

  "...that I was going to die."

  Yu Xian's expression grew somber.

  "I khat the Azure Cloud Pavilion could no longer and the entire Azure Clion like it did one hundred and thirty thousand years ago. They had bee det, and so had the entire Azure Clion."

  "Azure Clion needed a sing. Your Li family did well, f the people from the Azure Cloud Pavilion and the other sects to flee."

  "I also khat the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and the Jun Prince's Mansion would never let go of su opportunity."

  Yu Xian sneered. "They want to be the chess pyers," he said, "they want to manipute the people of Azure Clion like ants. Well, I, Yu Xian, will not let them have their way!"

  "While your Li family was busy with the sughter, they were quite pleased."

  "But they didn't know that this was also our opportunity. 'Without breaking, there be no building.' By eliminating those truly ed by greed, Azure Clion see a brighter future!"

  "The siege outside the Skyveil Sect exposed the three greediest bastards!"

  ---

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