Chapter 741: Dark Night

The wilderness.

Kong Guxi's injuries had fully healed. Wearing only a Taoist robe, he soared through the air, surveying the territory with two disciples trailing behind him. Below, dense crowds of people filled the landscape.

His Xuanyue sect had relocated 500,000 people to the wilderness. The remaining Shanjin territory now held nearly half its original population; all other remote areas had been abandoned. They had moved to the wilderness, bringing all their belongings.

The wilderness, desolate for a century, suddenly became vibrant. Several safer gathering areas were established, and many disciples were protected. They now had over ten Qi Refining cultivators and even more Fetal Breath cultivators, all spread across various locations.

As he calculated the entire territory within the wilderness now claimed by his Xuanyue sect, Kong Guxi felt a sense of relief.

“It's quite a lot,” he thought, “enough to support our current disciples. However, there aren't many abundant spiritual veins, which will make it difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Fortunately, we can borrow the Li family's spiritual mountains.”

The Li family was considerate; the wilderness territory that had originally belonged to Xuanyue was now mostly under Kong Guxi's management. Although he occasionally heard reports of Shanjin County being attacked and plundered, Kong Guxi no longer had much time to feel distressed.

“All the loyal ones have moved here,” he mused. “From now on, the wilderness will be my Kong clan's territory. Let Shanjin County be plundered then... It was already a helpless situation; keeping it for even one more day was a bonus.”

As he flew on the wind, he noticed from afar that his family members were all on a mountain, with Li Cheng standing beside them, spear in hand. This sight made Kong Guxi's eyelids twitch. He flew rapidly towards them, landed on the mountain, and heard Li Cheng say:

“Sect Master Kong has finally returned; there's an important matter to discuss.”

Kong Guxi glanced around. His own Kong Qiuyan, Kong Xiaxiang, and even another pillar of the sect, Kong Guli, were waiting nearby. Kong Guxi quickly stepped forward and said:

“Please give your orders!”

“I wouldn't dare command, I merely wish to speak with you, sir.”

Li Cheng said seriously:

“I received news earlier that our True Immortal has gone to the Purple Mist Sect. He sent me here to inform your esteemed sect to retrieve an item.”

“What item?”

Kong Guxi felt a surge of fear. He was terrified Li Cheng would mention something like Kong Haiying's head, and sweat beaded on his forehead. However, Li Cheng said:

“True Immortal Changxi left an item. It's located beneath the main seat in the Xiuyue Hall on your sect's main peak. Please send someone to retrieve it.”

Kong Guxi secretly sighed in relief. He looked around and chose the most reliable person, Kong Guli, saying:

“Brother, please make this trip.”

Kong Guli nodded and departed, leaving Kong Guxi and the others at a loss on the mountain. Kong Qiuyan looked at Li Cheng, then at her own Sect Master, losing all desire to do anything. She could only lean against the doorway and wait. Old man Kong Yu, whose injuries hadn't healed, wanted to ask but dared not, pacing back and forth.

They waited until dusk, when a streak of escape light finally flew in. Kong Guli hastily landed on the mountain, holding a stone box, and said:

“There was a secret method concealing it under the seat, quite complex, which delayed me!”

Kong Guxi didn't bother to reply to him. He opened the jade box, and a group of Kong family members leaned forward to look, their eyes filled with alarm. Inside the jade box lay a piece of cloth with only one line of text written on it.

“In urgent matters, expediency is permitted. Shanjin County and the Xuanyue Sect's mountain gate are to be handled by True Immortal Zhaojing.”

This piece of cloth, inscribed by a True Immortal, had transformed into a jade-like texture, its smooth surface reflecting the eyes of the onlookers. Old man Kong Yu read it twice before speaking:

“It is the Ancestor's immortal decree.”

Seeing that this decree posed no issues, Li Cheng then took out another jade box from his robes. He extracted a hard, stone-like spiritual cloth and placed it on the table. Everyone fell silent as mutes, then leaned in to read again:

‘I entrust Fellow Daoist Zhaojing to look after Xuanyue on my behalf. Should circumstances become unfavorable, feel free to give Shanjin County to another family in exchange for assistance.’

The Kong family members were utterly silent.

Shanjin County held the same significance for the Kong family as Wangyue Lake did for the Li family. Losing the entire Shanjin County was equivalent to the Li family losing sixteen prefectures and two mountains, leaving them with only Pingya Continent.

But for the Kong family, losing Shanjin County also meant they could not return to their mountain gate. All they could do was remain in the wilderness, serving as a barrier for others. Although they had already relocated so many people, and the Kong family had somewhat anticipated this, seeing it explicitly stated still left them bewildered.

Kong Guxi was equally stunned.

To be fair, after the battle on the river, Kong Guxi had already recognized the disparity in Xuanyue's resources and manpower. Thus, the Sect Master's thoughts were almost contrary to those of all other Kong family members; he had long considered Shanjin County as belonging to others.

Therefore, no matter how much Shanjin County was ravaged by battle or plundered—even as other Kong family members cried out in despair—Kong Guxi would grit his teeth and feel no distress. His heart was entirely focused on their former subordinate territory, now their new home in the wilderness.

But from Changxi's last will, he also heard of another place: the mountain gate!

Even their own mountain gate had become a bargaining chip to be exchanged. What then of Kong Haiying and Kong Tingyun, who could not be moved from the mountain? No matter how difficult, Kong Guxi could endure as long as there was a glimmer of hope. But without these two, what was the Kong family worth?

In just a breath, Kong Guxi knelt down with a thud. He was the first to exclaim:

“Xuanyue respectfully obeys the True Immortal's command!”

The sky had already darkened. This voice, amplified by spiritual power, echoed through the mountains with the night wind. From Kong Guli to Kong Yu, and even the disciples scattered across the mountains, all pondered this sentence.

‘Respectfully obey the True Immortal's command,’ they wondered, ‘but which True Immortal?’

‘Today's Shanjin Xuanyue... if there's no Shanjin, and no Xuanyue mountain gate, is it still Xuanyue?’

But their bodies reacted faster than their minds. Like reaped wheat, they all knelt down and cried out in unison:

“Xuanyue respectfully obeys the True Immortal's command!”

Li Cheng was about to help him up, but Kong Guxi continued to bow, saying:

“True Immortal, you relocated our people for Xuanyue, leaving us a place to settle. Everyone in Xuanyue is immensely grateful! We have no way to repay...”

Everyone was distraught, their voices interspersed with sobs, chanting like echoes. Only then did Kong Guxi stand up and say gratefully:

“Thank you for making this trip, sir. If there's any news about Shanjin, please inform us as soon as possible. We will quickly move the remaining dozens of people out, so as not to delay matters or cause any misunderstandings.”

Li Cheng gave him a complex look, nodded, and departed on the wind. The moment he left, Kong Qiuyan slumped to the ground. The young Kong Xiaxiang, eyes red and appearing agitated, stood up and strode to the hall door, pushing it open with an angry bang.

Kong Guxi, who had been bent at the waist, suddenly sprang up. He took a step, grabbed Kong Xiaxiang's magical robe, and twisted his face towards him. The Sect Master, like an enraged lion, roared:

“What do you mean... what do you mean! Speak! What... do you mean!”

This voice was like thunder, extinguishing all the magical lamps in the hall and plunging it into complete darkness. As Kong Xiaxiang met his piercing eyes, his previously aggrieved and fierce gaze instantly melted. He gritted his teeth and said:

“Reporting to the Sect Master, this junior was going to convey the order.”

Only then did Kong Guxi release him, saying hoarsely:

“You are not suitable to go out now. Stay on this peak, don't go anywhere, and we'll talk in three to five days.”

The oldest, Kong Guli, watched everything from beginning to end without saying a word. Only Kong Yu left, covering his tears. This old man, prone to self-pity, flew alone into the night and disappeared without a trace.

After more than half a quarter of an hour, Kong Guxi slowly walked out of the hall. The magical lamps outside were also extinguished, so he looked up twice.

He noticed that the night was moonless, the forest wind was bleak, and the entire mountain peak was immersed in darkness. His disciples stood on both sides, their faces engulfed by the night, all pitch black with indistinct features, and they all seemed to be trembling.