Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 661: The Pillar of Yanhua Sect has Collapsed_1

Chapter 661: Chapter 661: The Pillar of Yanhua Sect has Collapsed_1

The affairs of the Virtue Sect were inevitably not concealed; after all, the Sect Leader and the Great Elder disappearing simultaneously was a major event within the Yanhua Sect.

Consequently, Elder Jia You, the newly appointed Sect Leader, found himself under immense pressure.

He managed to fend off the various probes and ridicule from other sects, but his heart was bitter. Only now did he realize that being a Sect Leader meant facing so many problems, especially since he was holding several positions simultaneously.

Tasks that should have been handled by three people now fell to him alone, naturally making things much harder.

Fortunately, Jia You was a cultivator at the Divinity Transformation Stage. While acting as three people wasn’t fatally exhausting, he had nevertheless severed connections with his two martial brothers.

As for the Virtue Sect, he had attempted to observe it with his Divine Sense but gained nothing, as if it were shielded by some Magical Artifact.

This wasn’t particularly surprising. Without genuine capabilities, how could anyone bewitch two Divinity Transformation Stage cultivators?

As long as Master emerges from seclusion, he will surely persuade them to return, Jia You could only place his hopes on his Master. In truth, they knew the Supreme Elder wasn’t attempting a breakthrough as a last-ditch effort to seize a slim chance; rather, it was because his lifespan was nearing its end. If he failed to break through this time, the backlash would lead to his demise.

The Supreme Elder had failed in his previous attempts to break through to the Body Integration Realm, and this time, he was truly risking his life.

By my calculations, he should be emerging soon, Jia You mused, tracking the time. It had already been a year since Deng Chong and Xia Houqing departed.

The Supreme Elder was due to leave seclusion around this time, which was why Jia You had chosen to endure everything up to this point.

He arrived outside the sealed meditation chamber in an instant. He stood there quietly for ten days, his expression gradually shifting from calm to grim.

He couldn’t sense any Spiritual Energy fluctuations or Mana rhythms; only a deathly stillness pervaded the air.

It was evident that the Supreme Elder had, in all likelihood, failed.

He gently pushed open the door to the meditation chamber. There were no restrictive spells; it simply yielded to his touch.

His heart plummeted into an abyss. If the Supreme Elder were still alive, this door would never have opened so easily.

The fact that he could open it so effortlessly meant the Supreme Elder was truly dead.

What met his eyes was, indeed, a lifelike corpse.

For a cultivator at the Cultivating Void Stage, it wasn’t difficult for their body to remain preserved after death.

However, it was merely an empty shell; both soul and consciousness had completely dissipated. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Jia You didn’t move. He stood there, staring blankly at the corpse, a chilling realization dawning upon him: the Yanhua Sect was in trouble—grave trouble.

Without a Cultivating Void Stage expert presiding over the sect, and with him as the sole remaining Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator, the Sect’s Forces would inevitably diminish drastically.

"This can’t be concealed for much longer," he sighed. Those with ulterior motives would not be fooled.

Cultivators at the Cultivating Void Stage had a lifespan of 5,000 years. Even if the Supreme Elder hadn’t perished attempting his breakthrough, his life would have ended within the next month or two regardless.

Only by breaking through to the Body Integration Realm could one’s lifespan extend from 5,000 to 10,000 years. If the Supreme Elder didn’t make an appearance within a month or two, signifying a successful breakthrough, the subsequent probing from other sects would undoubtedly become more severe.

The Yanhua Sect’s enemies were, naturally, those sects possessing Cultivating Void Stage experts. After all, since those sects also had such powerful figures, they wouldn’t deign to lower their own status by not taking advantage.

"Master, oh Master, how could you have failed?" Jia You lamented.

After a long internal struggle, Jia You finally laid Elder Tai Shan to rest.

In truth, if he were more ruthless, he could have used the corpse to buy more time. The body was remarkably lifelike; he would only need to control it with his Divine Sense to put on a false show of strength, thereby delaying matters for several more years.

This was also the Supreme Elder’s wish; otherwise, he could have allowed his body to turn to dust and wouldn’t have left it behind.

Had Deng Chong been there, he would undoubtedly have chosen to continue the charade. Having helmed the sect for so many years, he certainly possessed the necessary ruthlessness.

Using a corpse to buy several years as a turning point was undoubtedly a very worthwhile exchange.

However, Jia You was not Deng Chong; he would never make such a choice.

Watching the corpse completely dissipate, the bitterness in his heart intensified.

"With your death, I’m the one who will suffer," Jia You said, his expression somber, before leaving the meditation chamber.

He decided to publicly announce the news. Rather than waiting for the inevitable bloodshed that would result from other sects’ probing in a month or two, it was better to disclose it himself. By doing so, he could proactively lower the sect’s standing to ensure its survival.

The idea was sound, but it would result in the sect losing substantial benefits, such as essential cultivation resources like Spirit Stone Mines, Spirit Plant Gardens, and Spirit Beast Fields.

It might even cause unrest and disappointment among the disciples. However, it also presented an opportunity to identify those truly loyal to the Yanhua Sect, who could then be promoted and entrusted with responsibilities.

Compared to a bloody conflict, such a peaceful evolution was far more acceptable to Jia You.

"I wonder how the two of you would have handled this if you were here," Jia You muttered before turning and leaving the meditation chamber.

「...」

"He’s a fool! How could he announce that?!" Deng Chong, now at the Initial Period of Qi Cultivation Third Level and having accumulated dozens of merit points, had advanced by leaps and bounds. If he were to encounter his past self from his Divinity Transformation Stage days, he could effortlessly trounce him using the Complete Evil to Complete Good Skill.

But just today, he had heard the news: the Yanhua Sect’s Supreme Elder, a Cultivating Void Stage master, had perished failing to break through to the Body Integration Realm.

"Jia You’s intentions were good," Xia Houqing said. "By bowing his head and ceding some benefits, he could preserve the sect. Surely that’s less damaging than a bloody conflict?" Xia Houqing, who had progressed faster than Deng Chong and was now at the peak of Qi Cultivation Third Level, couldn’t understand Deng Chong’s outburst.

The Complete Evil to Complete Good Skill was not a standard Cultivation Technique but a Merit Cultivation Method. Although it used the cultivators’ ranking system, it was fundamentally different. Otherwise, with their original cultivation speed, they could have recovered to the Golden Core Stage within a year, instead of still languishing at the Qi Cultivation Stage.

"No, that’s merely how we see it," Deng Chong retorted. "In the eyes of other sects, this signifies that the Yanhua Sect is not only in decline but also facing a major internal crisis, compelling us to act this way."

"What follows will be a war of annihilation, not them choosing to spare the Yanhua Sect after they’ve had their fill." Even now, Deng Chong subconsciously still considered himself a disciple of the Yanhua Sect.

"But we’re fellow members of the Righteous Path, not demonic cultivators from the Demon Path! How could they possibly—" Xia Houqing broke off, suddenly understanding. Being part of the Righteous Path meant that while they might drape their actions in a veneer of righteousness, needing various justifications to make a move, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t strike.

"Then what should we do?" Xia Houqing asked. His Thinking Logic led him to a similar conclusion as Jia You’s: he had no way to resolve this crisis either.

"Unless that boy Jia You breaks through to the Cultivating Void Stage..." Deng Chong said with a sigh of resignation.

Problems born from a disparity in strength can only be resolved by strength. No matter how ingenious the stratagems, they are useless against an enemy’s overwhelming power.

Xia Houqing found Deng Chong’s idea utterly impractical. We’d have a better chance helping out ourselves, he thought. They knew Jia You had no hope of breaking through to the Cultivating Void Stage.

Even if Jia You genuinely tried, he would only end up injured from the failed attempt.

Deng Chong, however, seized on Xia Houqing’s words, a glint appearing in his eyes. "Why not indeed? The Sect Leader never said we couldn’t!"

He naturally harbored deep feelings for the Yanhua Sect. After all, he had grown up there and later inherited the position of Sect Leader. To truly sever all ties with the Yanhua Sect was something he couldn’t bring himself to do.

"But the Sect Leader didn’t say we could either..." Xia Houqing was tempted, yet they couldn’t just leave without authorization.

As for Sect Leader Wang Linchi, he was perpetually elusive. Their last meeting had been six months ago, at which point he had already broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Wang Linchi was reportedly always undergoing Cross-robbery, his strength increasing at an astonishing rate. He had simply entrusted the Virtue Sect to them, instructing them to pass on the Complete Evil to Complete Good Skill if any fated individuals appeared. Everything else, including their own Cross-robbery tribulations, was up to them.

"So... why don’t we give it a try?" Xia Houqing immediately proposed. "The Sect Leader is hardly ever here anyway."

"Excellent! Let’s do as you suggest!" Deng Chong declared. He couldn’t openly say it was for the Yanhua Sect, so he reframed it: "This will be for the glory of the Virtue Sect! Soon, the entire world will know the might of virtue!"

The Virtue Sect couldn’t remain obscure forever; how else would they attract fated individuals? This was a plan that would achieve two goals at once.