138: Is building the foundation of the Heavenly Dao a dead end?

Just then, an overbearing voice rang out: "Everyone is arguing about Qiu Xiangming, but you have forgotten a key figure, Yang Kai!"

The speaker was an old man dressed in white Daoist robes, with a narrow face and sharp eyes; he was none other than Wang Qing, the Revered Master of Piaomiao Peak.

His gaze fell upon Yang Kai, and his tone was harsh: "This child received a Magic Treasure from that Mo Xuan, so clearly his relationship with this Mo Xuan is not shallow! If not for him, how would Mo Xuan know that Qiu Xiangming is in our Sect? If not for him, how would the Du Pang Dynasty have drawn the Demonic Lord's surprise attack? In my opinion, we should immediately cripple this child's ability to Cultivate, expel him from the Sect, and confiscate the Magic Treasure on his person as a warning to others!"

Yang Kai's expression changed upon hearing this; he had not expected the fire to spread to him. He slightly raised his head to look at Qing Xuanzi, who was in the center, trying to discern his attitude from his expression, but Qing Xuanzi's face was calm, with no reaction at all.

"Peak Revered Master Wang, those words are incorrect!" Real Person Zi Langya immediately retorted, "Yang Kai's contact with Mo Xuan was forced. In the Du Pang Dynasty, not only did he protect Zi Ning, but he also saved dozens of Mortal children. Furthermore, he survived the six-fold Heavenly Tribulation during his Heavenly Foundation Establishment. With such talent, would it not be a pity to cripple his cultivation? I happened to be present when Mo Xuan left that sword, and I have also inspected this Magic Treasure sword. I confirmed that it contains no Devilish Qi and has no hidden traps left behind. Yang Kai only accepted the sword after asking me; he himself is not at fault."

"No matter how high his talent, associating with the Demonic Path is an original sin!" Wang Qing sneered, "You, Real Person Zi Langya, are also a Peak Revered Master; how can you speak for a Demonic Path Disciple? Or are you saying that Qingyun Peak also has relations with this Demonic Sect?"

Real Person Zi Langya's anger surged upon hearing this, and he was about to continue his rebuttal when a gentle voice rang out: "Peak Revered Master Wang, although Yang Kai has had contact with Mo Xuan, he has not done anything to harm the Sect. Our Flowing Cloud Sect has never confiscated items obtained by Disciples. If every Magic Treasure of every Disciple in our Flowing Cloud Sect had to undergo Sect inspection, and if anything slightly strange had to be confiscated, how could our Disciples feel at ease as they Cultivate in the long run?"

The speaker was the Hall of Relief Master. Since being promoted from Acting Hall Revered Master by Qing Xuanzi, he had become much more assertive when speaking in the Hall of Elders. He immediately spoke up to assist Real Person Zi Langya, putting pressure on the Piaomiao Peak side.

Immediately after, the Grand Elder of the Discipline Hall also spoke: "The Punishment Hall has already verified Yang Kai's whereabouts via Jade Slip. All his actions in the Du Pang Dynasty were to protect Zi Ning and the Mortals; there was no collusion with the Demonic Path. Mo Xuan gifting him the Magic Treasure and sword technique was a unilateral action and has nothing to do with Yang Kai. If we were to cripple his cultivation based solely on this, it would likely chill the hearts of everyone in the Sect."

Seeing that both the Ji Shi Pavilion and the Punishment Hall had expressed support for Yang Kai, the Peak Revered Masters of the other Peaks also spoke up one after another:

"Yang Kai achieved Heavenly Foundation Establishment; it is rare to see one in ten thousand years. It would be a pity to cripple him."

"Mo Xuan's surprise attack on the Du Pang Dynasty was a predetermined event and has nothing to do with Yang Kai. Even if we crippled him, Mo Xuan would not let the matter rest."

"In my opinion, it would be better to keep observing Yang Kai. If he shows signs of colluding with the Demonic Path in the future, it will not be too late to deal with him then."

Seeing that everyone opposed crippling Yang Kai, Wang Qing's expression became increasingly ugly, but he knew he was outnumbered. Although Piaomiao Peak was strong, it could not oppose the entire Hall of Elders. He snorted coldly and sat back in his seat: "Since you are all protecting him, this old man will say no more. But if this child dares to show the slightest suspicious behavior in the future, do not blame this old man for being heartless!"

Seeing that the dispute had subsided, Qing Xuanzi nodded slowly: "Yang Kai and Zi Ning have rendered meritorious service in protecting the Du Pang Dynasty. Although they missed the inner Sect assessment this time, considering their talent and achievements, both shall be admitted to the inner Sect of Qingyun Peak to Cultivate. Meng Yun rendered meritorious service by delivering the message, and his talent is passable, so he shall also be admitted to the inner Sect of Qingyun Peak to Cultivate."

Seeing that no one had any objections to this decision, Qing Xuanzi began the second item on the agenda: "As for how to respond to the Four Demonic Sects' actions this time, and how to deal with Qiu Xiangming..."

Qing Xuanzi's words attracted everyone's attention. Even the Elders who had not expressed an opinion earlier were paying close attention; after all, compared to a Foundation Establishment Stage Disciple like Yang Kai, the threat of the Four Demonic Sects was the top priority.

Qing Xuanzi looked at Real Person Zi Langya again: "Peak Revered Master Zi, you shall continue to be responsible for matters regarding the Four Demonic Sects. You may arrange and deploy Sect forces as the situation requires. You must find the tracks of these Demonic Path scoundrels as soon as possible; what happened in the Du Pang Dynasty must never happen again!"

"Although Qiu Xiangming was once a Demonic Lord, he has been suppressed in the Town Demon Tower for many years and has now turned over a new leaf. Furthermore, he holds the position of Elder in our Flowing Cloud Sect. Mo Xuan's words are purely malicious and must not be trusted lightly. If we were to deal with Elder Qiu because of this, we would be falling into Mo Xuan's scheme. In the future, no more conspiratorial remarks against Elder Qiu shall be made. If you Elders have no objections, then we shall adjourn." Qing Xuanzi's words were resonant, and everyone could feel the will and determination contained within them.

Everyone stood up to salute and left the Hall of Elders one after another. Yang Kai stayed to the side; from beginning to end, he had no opportunity to speak. Moreover, these Elders did not seem overly surprised by his successful Heavenly Foundation Establishment. He had originally imagined a scene where the various Peak Revered Masters and Elders would fight to take him as their Disciple, so he could not help but feel a little disappointed.

Real Person Zi Langya walked up to Yang Kai and was just about to take him away when his figure suddenly paused, as if he had received some news. He then looked at Yang Kai, gave him a few instructions, and left the Hall of Elders.

"Not bad; to have completed the Heavenly Foundation Establishment solely on your own without relying on any Heaven And Earth Treasure, and to have survived the six-fold Heavenly Tribulation—Revered Master truly did not misjudge you." After the figures in the hall had dispersed, Qing Xuanzi's voice echoed in the hall. Yang Kai looked up and saw Qing Xuanzi stand up and walk over, his eyes filled with a trace of satisfaction.

"I dare not fail the expectations of Revered Master and Senior Brother Sect Leader." Yang Kai did not stand on ceremony. Qing Xuanzi smiled upon hearing this and did not correct his address as he had before, clearly having accepted this Junior Brother.

"Feeling a little disappointed? Do you feel that even though you successfully achieved Heavenly Foundation Establishment, the Sect does not value you very much?" Qing Xuanzi pierced through Yang Kai's thoughts. Yang Kai was stunned upon hearing this, and then nodded.

Qing Xuanzi sighed softly, his tone somewhat heavy: "Although this Heavenly Foundation Establishment is powerful, from now on you can only Cultivate the Heavenly Dao. Your Junior Sister's talent is even greater than yours; when she underwent Foundation Establishment, seven Heavenly Tribulations descended, and now she is stuck at the Peak of Nascent Soul, unable to make any further progress. There have long been rumors in the Sect that this method of Heavenly Foundation Establishment is a dead end. After all, in history, apart from Immortal Liuyun, there has never been a precedent of someone breaking through to Soul Transformation after Heavenly Foundation Establishment. Furthermore, Immortal Liuyun broke through to the Soul Transformation stage when the passage to the Immortal Realm was still open. Perhaps this method of Heavenly Foundation Establishment has long since been severed with the closing of the passage to the Immortal Realm."

Yang Kai's expression changed; he had not expected that the Heavenly Foundation Establishment he had painstakingly managed to complete was actually a dead end!