Chapter 692: The Mystery of the Sect's Annihilation

Upon hearing Chi Rong's words, the Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable felt as if struck by a sudden blow, freezing in place. Then, with an incredulous look in his eyes, he asked:

"Master... why is he serving in the天庭?"

Han Li had already anticipated this. His gaze swept over the Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable and Chi Rong, a contemplative expression on his face.

Su Liu seemed to know something of the inside story as well, curling his lips and watching the two fellow disciples with keen interest.

"Brother, the matters of that year are complicated. When you see Master later, ask him yourself. For now, don't be stubborn. Join forces with us and deal with these ruffians from the Reincarnation Palace first," Chi Rong said with a frown.

Hearing this, Hu San and the Fairy Bi She exchanged a glance, a flicker of complexity passing over their faces.

Although a single Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable might seem insignificant, in the current situation, even a slight shift in the balance of power could have a huge impact on the battle.

Moreover, without the Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable holding back those Fire-Year Fireflies, dealing with them would not have been so easy.

"This..." The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable hesitated, speaking with some uncertainty.

"Fellow Daoist Blazing Flame, what is there still to be unclear about? The reason Qi Mozi was able to emerge unscathed after the upheaval in the True Word Sect is naturally because he had long betrayed the sect and defected to the天庭," Han Li declared expressionlessly in a clear voice.

At these words, Chi Rong's face darkened instantly. He glared at Han Li and gritted his teeth: "Who do you think you are, daring to utter my master's name? You're asking for death..."

"Why... why did Master do this?" The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable took a deep breath and asked.

"As the saying goes, 'People strive to climb higher, and fine birds choose their trees to perch on.' What's wrong with Master doing this? In its heyday, the True Word Sect's influence nearly covered the entire Black Earth Domain, but what was that compared to the天庭? Unfortunately, aside from Master, everyone in the sect—from the Patriarch down to the disciples—was blind, unable to see the truth, still fantasizing about peaceful coexistence with the天庭," Chi Rong said with a cold laugh.

"That's impossible... The Patriarch was always benevolent. Although the sect's influence grew, it never clashed with the天庭 and even actively restrained its expansion. Otherwise, with the Patriarch's prestige, incorporating several immortal domains including the Black Mountain and Fuze into its sphere of influence would have been as easy as taking something out of a pocket. Moreover, when the天庭 intended to establish the Four Alliance Immortal Region and set up the Four Alliance Immortal Palace to govern these domains, the sect expressed its support. It was later that the天庭 broke faith and attacked us..." The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable shook his head and said.

"I never expected your thinking to be so naive, Brother. No wonder Master sent you away from the sect beforehand. Back then, the天庭 intended to establish the Four Alliance Immortal Region and proactively proposed that the True Word Sect provide a disciple to serve as the Grand Palace Master of the Four Alliance Immortal Region, thereby forming a good alliance with the sect. This all seemed like an overture of friendship, but it was merely a pacifying measure," Chi Rong said with a sneer.

The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable was still puzzled, but Han Li had already understood and spoke up:

"What a clever divide-and-conquer tactic. Even without the Four Alliance Immortal Region, these four immortal domains were essentially under the True Word Sect's influence. The天庭 was just going with the flow. Once the Immortal Palace was established, it might not have been obvious at first, but it would inevitably drift apart from the True Word Sect, becoming a thorn embedded in its territory. From this, it seems the True Word Sect made significant concessions. So why did it all end in a shocking massacre?"

"If the True Word Sect had accepted the天庭's proposal and let Master serve as the first Grand Palace Master of the Four Alliance Immortal Palace, instead of insisting on Mu Yanlai, the sect might have declined, but it wouldn't have ended up as miserably as it has now," Chi Rong said, glancing at Han Li with deep meaning.

"Are you saying that before the天庭 sent an envoy to discuss this matter with the sect, Master had already made contact with the天庭?" The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable suddenly realized and asked.

"Correct. In fact, the proposal to establish the Four Alliance Immortal Region was originally put forward by Master to the天庭. Under the original circumstances, the sect and the天庭 were bound to have a life-and-death battle. His intention was to carve out a path of survival for the sect in an inevitable death situation," Chi Rong nodded and said.

"Isn't that a bit too high-sounding? What 'seeking a chance for the sect to survive'? In the end, it's sacrificing the sect's interests for personal gain. To defect to the天庭, one must offer a 'ticket of submission,' right? Was it just Milo Patriarch, or the other four direct disciples as well?" Han Li said with a cold laugh.

"In the struggle for the Great Way, Milo Patriarch was doomed to die. Whether Master took this path or not, it was unchangeable." Having said this, Chi Rong no longer bothered to defend Qi Mozi and spoke bluntly.

"So, all that talk about establishing the Four Alliance Immortal Region and having Milo Patriarch's disciple serve as Grand Palace Master was just nonsense to fool people. The天庭's real purpose in making such a show was to use the negotiations as a pretext to probe the True Word Sect's strength and prepare to strike and eliminate it," Han Li said slowly with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Chi Rong's face grew even darker. His gaze fell on Han Li, filled with barely suppressed anger.

At the same time, he was somewhat puzzled as to why this man's analysis of the True Word Sect's past events could hit the nail on the head every time.

"I have one more question. Who was that mysterious person who suddenly visited the True Word Sect during the天庭 envoy's visit?" The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable's mood had been fluctuating like clouds in the sky and waves in the deep sea, but now he gradually calmed down and asked.

"It was our Reincarnation Palace's Palace Master," Hu San suddenly spoke up before Chi Rong could answer.

Reincarnation Palace Master?

Han Li raised an eyebrow and looked at Hu San, clearly surprised by this answer.

"The Palace Master went to warn Milo Patriarch that the天庭 was about to attack him. Unfortunately, Milo Patriarch had deep prejudices against the Gray Realm, believing that the Reincarnation Palace was connected to it. He was unwilling to trust the Palace Master, let alone ally with us. Otherwise, how could he have ended up dead, with all his disciples and descendants annihilated?" Hu San sighed, somewhat ruefully.

From this, it was evident how heavily the immortals of the Immortal Realm guarded against beings from the Gray Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Hu San, does this mean... before entering this place, you already knew the truth about the annihilation of our True Word Sect? Then why did you deceive me with words?" The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable frowned and asked.

"Well... on one hand, I wasn't sure if you were truly ignorant of the annihilation. On the other hand, I really needed you to lead the way into the ruins," Hu San hesitated briefly before confessing.

"Why waste so much time with nonsense? Brother, don't you want to return to the Golden Source Immortal Domain with me to see Master?" Chi Rong shot a sharp glance and said impatiently.

"I came here to uncover the truth behind the sect's destruction. Why not let me satisfy my wish first? I want to know what role Master played in that upheaval," the Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable said, looking at Chi Rong.

"Isn't it obvious? A traitor who betrayed the sect. Your Uncle-Master Mu Yan and Uncle He Ze both died by his hand," Hu San said calmly, delivering the final verdict.

Hearing this, Han Li's mind stirred. He suddenly understood why the big-headed boy in the Water衍 Palace wanted him to kill Qi Mozi, and also understood the unwillingness and resentment Mu Yan felt before his death.

"What exactly happened after your Reincarnation Palace Master's visit?" The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable looked at Hu San and asked.

Hu San was silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"Although Milo Patriarch ultimately did not agree to an alliance with the Reincarnation Palace, he naturally had doubts. So he went to the Demon Domain, mortgaged a time-attribute immortal artifact, borrowed a space-attribute immortal artifact from the Demon Lord, and used it to quietly rearrange the True Word Sect's defensive grand formation. If the entire formation had been successfully set up, even if the天庭 had attacked them, they wouldn't have been completely defenseless for a while. Unfortunately..."

"Unfortunately what?" Although the Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable had already guessed what followed, he couldn't help asking.

"Unfortunately, that scoundrel Qi Mozi reported Milo Patriarch's meeting with the Reincarnation Palace Master to the天庭. The天庭 then used the excuse of collusion with the Reincarnation Palace and the Gray Realm to launch a preemptive strike against the True Word Sect. The result was obvious: the sect's new defensive grand formation had not yet been fully completed, and Milo Patriarch had expended his primordial energy to set it up, so the sect was naturally breached by the天庭," Hu San sighed and said.

Hu San didn't continue, but Han Li knew that what followed must have been the tragic scene he had witnessed through Mu Yan during his soul travel back then.

"That great battle was unprecedented. No one expected that the Time Dao Ancestor, who presided over the Central Earth Immortal Domain, would personally take action and suppress Milo Patriarch with thunderous means. Their cultivation levels were too high, causing the entire Black Earth Immortal Domain to tremble in turmoil. If Milo Patriarch hadn't intentionally confined the battlefield to the True Word Sect's territory, perhaps more than just this one sect would have been lost," Hu San said slowly.

"Milo Patriarch had five direct disciples. You've only mentioned three. What happened to the other two?" Han Li suddenly asked.

"Of the two, Jin Yuanzi disappeared for a long time after the war. It is said that he later achieved great cultivation and attempted to challenge the Time Dao Ancestor, but ultimately died in defeat and vanished without a trace. As for Wu Yang... he joined our Reincarnation Palace and became a Vice Palace Master," Hu San said slowly.

"Uncle-Master Wu Yang is still alive?" The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable didn't know whether to be happy or worried upon hearing this.

"Back then, when our Palace Master met with Milo Patriarch, Vice Palace Master Wu Yang was also present. He was the only one among them willing to believe what our Palace Master said. However, he couldn't disobey his master's orders and unilaterally ally with the Reincarnation Palace. Later, he privately contacted our Palace Master, asking him to save his master in times of crisis. But because of Qi Mozi's betrayal, everything happened too suddenly. In the end, our Palace Master only had time to save him..." Hu San said slowly.

The Blazing Flame Immortal Venerable remained silent. Han Li frowned deeply, feeling a sense of lament in his heart.