Whoosh!
Several beams of sword light cleaved through the dark clouds, rushing swiftly forward.
Upon arriving at a blessed place right at the center of this grotto-heaven, the sword light ceased, revealing none other than Tian Yuanqing and Nian Xuexin of the Mingxin Palace, among other senior disciples.
At this moment, they were at the location of the Yellow Sand Hall in the Fifth Grotto-Heavens, but the Yellow Sand Hall had long since lost the prosperity and bustle of its former days.
The courtyards of yore were all collapsed, shrouded in layers of black fog that allowed no glimpse of even a shadow of a person. The entire Yellow Sand Hall, as well as the whole of the Fifth Grotto-Heavens, was desolate, like a realm of specters.
Tian Yuanqing had a solemn expression because this was the fourth destroyed grotto-heaven they had come across on their journey.
The situation was fundamentally similar in each caseāsects were destroyed, and the entire grotto-heavens were emptied of people; apart from the pervasive dark clouds, there were not even demon ghosts.
This state of affairs further weighed down Tian Yuanqingās heart.
Although he had not experienced the time when demon ghosts wreaked havoc, he had heard his master and the others mention it more than once.
But even when the demon ghostsā power was at its peak, they had not shaken the seven major grotto-heavens in the slightest.
This time, however, four grotto-heavens had already been destroyed.
Even the normally smiling Nian Xuexinās little face became very serious, her voice grave: "Senior Brother, should we disperse all this demon ghost energy?"
Tian Yuanqing shook his head, "No need, these grotto-heavens are already voids, not even one demon ghost is to be found hereādispersing this ghostly energy is useless and would only waste our cultivation!"
"So, whatās our next step?" asked Nian Xuexin.
Tian Yuanqing looked towards the distant sky and let out a slow breath, saying firmly: "Continue to inspect the other grotto-heavens, I refuse to believe these demon ghosts can really turn the heavens upside down!"
Nian Xuexin nodded, then hesitantly asked, "Which grotto-heaven shall we go to next?"
Another senior brother standing by said gravely, "Golden Cauldron Pavilion!"
"Golden Cauldron Pavilion? The one that is the weakest and has always ranked at the bottom?" Nian Xuexin was slightly stunned, then shook her head.
"I think thereās no need to go, after all, on our way here, weāve seen it allāeven the Second Grotto-Heavensā Soul-Dissolving Pavilion has not been spared, Golden Cauldron Pavilion is probably just wasteland now!"
The other disciples also nodded their agreement.
But Tian Yuanqing shook his head, "Even if thereās a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up! If Golden Cauldron Pavilion is also a wasteland, then weāll head straight to the Third Grotto-Heavensā Lovesick Courtyard!"
Upon hearing the three words āLovesick Courtyardā, a glint of light flashed in everyoneās eyes.
Nian Xuexin also nodded, "Thatās right, after all, this time the grand competition of the Dao lineage is held within Lovesick Courtyard, we must see what is happening there!" she said, her expression growing a bit dim, "I donāt believe that Senior Brother Fang has just died like that!"
Tian Yuanqing sighed softly, knowing that his junior sister had the closest relationship with Fang Xingāan and naturally found it hard to accept everything that had happened.
"Alright! Letās set out now!"
Tian Yuanqing took the lead, transforming into sword light to forge ahead, with Nian Xuexin and the other disciples closely following. They cleaved through the dark clouds and disappeared into the vast darkness.
Golden Cauldron Pavilion.
All the elders and all the True Disciples had gathered in the Council Hall, and an eerie silence filled the spacious hall; no one spoke a word.
Above the entire Golden Cauldron Pavilion was a thick layer of a light barrier, enveloping the pavilion within and radiating dazzling golden light that dispelled the darkness of the surrounding world.
This was the Golden Light Array that had protected the Golden Cauldron Pavilion and kept it standing to this day.
Yet despite this, there was not a trace of joy on the faces of those present.
"Great Elder!" someone called out softly.
The Great Elderās eyebrows lowered gently as he took measured steps forward.
At the same time, an even more shocking scene took place.
All the elders present rose to their feet in succession and followed behind the Great Elder.
"Count me in!" said Elder Liu from the Tribunal Hall, who was notorious for his love of petty advantages. But at this moment, he had none of the usual sleaziness about him; instead, he looked serene.
"Old Liu, I canāt believe youād actually stand up to this!" quipped a chubby elder with a chuckle.
"Old Zhu, arenāt you doing the same?" Elder Liu showed a trace of a smile as well.
This chubby old man was in charge of the magical teachings of the Golden Cauldron Pavilion, and because of his love for food and his surname Zhu, he was often jokingly referred to as Old Pig.
"Heh, how could I miss out on such an occasion?" Old Pig laughed heartily.
"Old man, it hasnāt been in vain being friends with you!" Elder Liu felt his eyes grow acidic.
And so, at that moment, all the elders of the Golden Cauldron Pavilion stood up and followed the Great Elder, slowly walking towards the door.
The disciples respectfully made way, and although they would do so in normal times, this time, it was completely heartfelt.
Afterward, the disciples all looked at these elders with admiring eyes.
No one does not wish to live. These elders may have had their flaws in daily life, but when faced with the demon ghosts, mortal enemies of their path and teachings, even the most humble among them would stand and fight.
For they are all the inheritors of the Sectās tradition!

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