334: Chapter 334 The Fall of Ziyang, a Secret Keeped!

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Qingcang Kingdom, the main peak of the Shangqing Sect.

Deep within the grand hall, the light was dim. The flames of a few eternal lamps flickered unsteadily, exuding a deathly stillness like a setting sun.

True Monarch Ziyang sat cross-legged on a jade couch.

He was already old, and combined with the continuous wars against the Yao Race in recent years, his Origin Qi had been damaged. Furthermore, the Taiqing Sect had ruined his thousand-year grand plan for the Shangqing Sect, causing damage to his spirit...

With these various factors combined, he no longer possessed his former lofty demeanor.

His face was covered in brown spots, his skin clinging to his bones like withered tree bark, and his whole body emitted a thick aura of decay and decline.

Once someone who shook the Xuanling Continent and was immensely prominent for a time, he was now like a candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment...

Below in the grand hall stood two figures.

The person on the left wore a green robe and had a refined appearance; he was none other than the current second-in-command of the Shangqing Sect, True Monarch Fang Yi, at the Middle Stage of the Nascent Soul.

The person on the right wore a grayish-white Daoist robe, his face as pale as paper, and he occasionally let out a repressed cough.

It was True Monarch Yuanshang, also with Middle Stage Nascent Soul cultivation, but during the battle in the Liang Kingdom years ago, he had injured his Origin, which had yet to heal.

"Senior Brother..." True Monarch Fang Yi looked at the old man on the couch, his voice trembling slightly, his eyes turning slightly red.

True Monarch Ziyang slowly opened his eyes, his murky gaze sweeping over the two, and he managed to force a bitter smile, murmuring:

"Do not be sad. After a thousand years of cultivating the Dao, there is always death; I have lived long enough, but... I cannot die in peace."

He coughed violently, coughing up a pool of black blood tainted with Death Qi.

True Monarch Yuanshang stepped forward, wanting to channel spiritual power into him, but was stopped by Ziyang raising his hand.

"Do not waste your effort. My Origin is withered, and my time has come."

True Monarch Ziyang gasped, his breath steadying, his gaze gradually becoming sharp, as if experiencing a final burst of energy before death, and he instructed carefully:

"After I die, the burden of the Shangqing Sect will fall upon your shoulders."

"That fellow True Lord Tongming is, after all, a remnant of the Qingfeng Sect, and his nature is too fierce and prone to impulsiveness; he cannot be entrusted with important tasks."

"Ziyan, Mingyuan, and Hanyuan are all Nascent Soul cultivators who have newly ascended in this century; their cultivation is still shallow, and they cannot hold up the big picture."

"Only the two of you, as pillars of strength, can ensure my Shangqing Daoist lineage does not perish."

True Monarch Fang Yi cupped his fists and bowed deeply: "Rest assured, Senior Brother. As long as Fangyi has a breath left, the Shangqing Sect will not fall."

True Monarch Ziyang nodded slightly, his gaze looking towards the west, the direction of the Myriad Demon Domain.

"As for that Thunder Bear... Shi Jian."

Mentioning this name, a strong sense of hatred and wariness flashed in True Monarch Ziyang's eyes.

"The depth of this demon's foundation is unprecedented. Just after forming his Nascent Soul, he was able to severely injure that Sword Spirit; now the three domains of the Yao Race are colluding in secret, faintly taking his Myriad Demon Domain as their leader. The Human Race is in danger."

"That group of hypocrites from the Taiqing Sect, in order to preserve their strength, will absolutely not fight the Yao Race to the death."

"You must remember, never place your hope in the Taiqing Sect!"

True Monarch Ziyang grabbed True Monarch Fang Yi's wrist, his withered fingers like iron pincers.

"Endure!"

"From today on, the Shangqing Sect must stabilize itself during this darkest hour. Even if the Yao Race turns the Qingcang Kingdom upside down, as long as they haven't reached the mountain gate, you must absolutely not act rashly!"

"That bear is cunning, setting traps everywhere to lure you out; do not fall for his tricks."

"Consolidate all resources and cultivate the new generation with all your might. After I die, you must... guard this foundation left by our ancestors!"

As he finished speaking, True Monarch Ziyang's eyes suddenly widened, and the light in his eyes froze instantly.

The hand that was gripping True Monarch Fang Yi's wrist fell powerlessly.

A titan of the Human Race, the pillar of the Shangqing Sect, passed away with grievances just like that.

Boom! The heavens and earth resonated; a great Nascent Soul expert had fallen, and the world mourned together.

Above the Shangqing Sect, the originally clear sky instantly became covered with dark clouds. Blood-colored raindrops brewed within the clouds, and a sorrowful aura of the Dao was about to spread in all directions.

If such an omen were to spread, I fear the entire Xuanling Continent would know that the Shangqing Sect had lost its strongest combat power.

"Not good, it's a celestial phenomenon!" True Monarch Fang Yi's expression changed drastically.

"Junior Brother, rest assured, leave it to me." True Monarch Yuanshang gave a cold shout, forcibly suppressing his internal injuries, his hands forming seals like spinning wheels.

"Ethereal Domain, Seal!"

Hum—! An extremely profound Dao of Space fluctuation erupted from True Monarch Yuanshang's body.

He opened his mouth and spat out a diamond-shaped transparent crystal. The crystal spun rapidly and transformed into an invisible transparent membrane, instantly shrouding the entire grand hall, and even the summit of Ziyang Peak.

The blood-colored celestial phenomenon that was about to spread was tightly contained by this Dao of Space membrane, unable to leak out in the slightest, until it was sealed within.

Looking from the outside, Ziyang Peak was still surrounded by purple Qi, calm as water.

Inside the grand hall, True Monarch Yuanshang sprayed a mouthful of blood, his aura becoming even more withered, but he desperately maintained the operation of the Dao of Space Magic Treasure, sealing all the residual Dao aura from True Monarch Ziyang's fall within this small space.

"Junior Brother, your injuries have not healed, and you are forcibly activating the 'Boundary Space Stone'..." True Monarch Fang Yi hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

True Monarch Yuanshang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, shook his head, his gaze fixed tightly on the remains of True Monarch Ziyang on the jade couch.

"Senior Brother has just passed; we must absolutely not let the outside world know the news of his fall."

"In the current situation, the Yao Race is eyeing us covetously, and it is inevitable that the Taiqing Sect would kick us while we are down; if they knew Senior Brother Ziyang was dead, the Shangqing Sect would likely face an existential disaster in an instant!"

True Monarch Fang Yi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the grief in his heart, his eyes gradually becoming cold and stern.

"Senior Brother's intention is to keep the funeral secret."

"Yes." True Monarch Yuanshang gasped: "Just as usual, announce to the outside world that Senior Brother Ziyang is in seclusion healing his injuries."

"Internal and external affairs of the Sect will temporarily be handled by the two of us."

True Monarch Fang Yi nodded. Looking at the remains of True Monarch Ziyang, he waved his sleeve, and a cold wave swept over, sealing the remains to prevent the Death Qi from leaking out.

"Senior Brother is right, we must endure."

A trace of resentment flashed in True Monarch Fang Yi's eyes as he said: "Shi Jian has been dormant for hundreds of years, raising a group of bloodthirsty demon armies."

"Our Shangqing Sect, even if we exhaust our foundation, must forge a group of Prodigies capable of carrying the burden!"

True Monarch Yuanshang put away the Boundary Space Stone, and the omen in the grand hall finally gradually subsided.

"And Tongming and the others..."

"Keep this matter hidden for now; I will talk to them and stabilize them." True Monarch Fang Yi said in a deep voice: "Whoever dares to cause trouble at this critical juncture, do not blame me for disregarding our shared Sect ties!"

Inside the grand hall, a deathly stillness returned.

Two Middle Stage Nascent Soul experts stood in the shadows, just like two lone wolves licking their wounds. The backbone of the Shangqing Sect had broken, but they had to use their own bones and blood to forcibly hold up this sky.