Yuan Mobai also spoke with a tone of suspicion, "The Imperial Court has also heard the rumors; it’s reportedly the work of Zhao Zongjie."
Lei Jun replied, "Regardless of whether Zhao Zongjie was still himself before, now he definitely is himself."
Yuan Mobai agreed, "Exactly."
The rumors circulating outside had begun to reverse. The morale of the Yellow Sky Sect mbers began to stabilize.
The root cause of the great upheaval within the Yellow Sky Sect was twofold: everyone could feel their individual Talisman Scripture being remotely sealed by the Altar of Wanfa Sect of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Ancestral Court, and they all knew their Yellow Sky Altar had been destroyed. This was the foundation of everything.
Building on this, rumors spread that Taoist Taiping had been possessed and Qi Shuo was secretly colluding with the Alchemy Cauldron Sect. These claims plunged the Yellow Sky Sect into complete chaos and lent devastating power to the various subsequent rumors.
Otherwise, the Yellow Sky Sect had endured difficult circumstances for many years. Those who had managed to persevere, even if they bore no blood feud against the Celestial Master Mansion, were individuals like Kang Ming—people of relatively strong, even stubborn, resolve.
The destruction of the Ancestral Altar ant losing their foundation, severing any possibility of further advancent in their cultivation. It was these rumors, compounded by problems concerning several High rit Masters, that ultimately drove the Yellow Sky Sect disciples to despair.
But now, Zhao Zongjie had sacrificed himself to re-establish the Yellow Sky Altar, and everything had imdiately changed.
Compared to re rumors, the sealing and subsequent unsealing of their own Talisman Scripture was a tangible reality. The minds of the Yellow Sky Sect disciples were suddenly at ease.
Furthermore, claims began circulating that Qi Shuo had actually been wronged and Taoist Taiping had not been possessed. Instead, both were said to have died heroically while defending the overseas Ancestral Altar.
While this outco was still tragic, it added an air of heroic sacrifice, instilling a spirit of desperate courage in the remaining Yellow Sky Sect disciples.
Limited by their strength, it was impossible for them to launch a counterattack and overthrow the Tang Imperial Court and the Celestial Master Mansion. However, the Imperial Court’s current efforts to eradicate the remnants of the Yellow Sky Sect suddenly beca less smooth.
On one hand, the Yellow Sky Sect disciples could craft talismans again; on the other, with hope rekindled in their hearts and desperation banished, they began to focus all their efforts on escaping and hiding. The number of those surrendering decreased significantly. These individuals, determined to hide in the shadows, were never easy to ferret out one by one.
"Master, I recall that establishing the Yellow Sky Altar requires the voluntary sacrifice of a High rit Elder, correct?" Lei Jun asked.
Yuan Mobai replied, "That is precisely what confuses and the others."
Most Yellow Sky Sect disciples were unaware, but Lei Jun and his master, Yuan Mobai, knew the truth all too well. Taoist Taiping really had been possessed. And Qi Shuo had indeed been secretly helping Gu Han, Feng Yi, and Zhou Peng. To target individuals like Kang Ming, who were already in the middle or even upper echelons of the Yellow Sky Sect, they could not have bypassed Zhao Zongjie.
Regardless of whether Zhao Zongjie was like Taoist Taiping or Qi Shuo, he certainly could not have been completely ignorant.
So now, has Zhao Zongjie truly sacrificed himself completely?
Even if Zhao Zongjie was still himself, even if he was willing to sacrifice his personal self for the sake of the Yellow Sky Sect, wouldn’t he worry that without an Upper Three Heavens Cultivator, the Yellow Sky Sect would be easily manipulated by mbers of the Alchemy Cauldron Sect? It was true that Feng Yi and Zhou Peng had t their demise, but Gu Han of the Eighth Heavenly Layer was, at the very least, still around.
Or perhaps Zhao Zongjie only knew about Feng Yi and Zhou Peng and was unaware of others? That still seems unlikely... Lei Jun shook his head slightly.
Yuan Mobai continued, "Even if Zhao Zongjie himself is willing, transforming into an Ancestral Altar isn’t as simple as a re thought."
Years ago, when a founding Elder of the Yellow Sky Sect transford himself into the Ancestral Altar, the process required vast amounts of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, depleting most of the resources the Yellow Sky Sect had taken when they split from the Celestial Master Mansion.
Lei Jun said, "It seems like it was prepared in advance. The Yellow Sky Altar was indeed declining, but it should have had so years left. Preparing so far in advance suggested that Gu Han, Zhou Peng, and the others might have also contributed."
Yuan Mobai said, "Their goal was to control the Yellow Sky Sect, not to use all its mbers as re vessels for possession and rebirth."
Therefore, they were considering the long term; if the original Yellow Sky Altar was failing, they would need to consider building a new one. The question was, who would be willing to sacrifice themselves?
Perhaps Zhao Zongjie was controlled by them, prepared long ago as... one of the materials... for the new altar, Lei Jun surmised. He let out a long sigh. "It’s just this step of volunteering... if an Alchemy Cauldron Sect Nascent Soul cultivator possessed him, could they make the decision to volunteer on his behalf?"
Yuan Mobai stated, "As far as I know, unless that Alchemy Cauldron Sect Nascent Soul cultivator was also willing to sacrifice their own Nascent Soul, they should not be able to make such a decision on his behalf. However, the Great Thousand World is full of wonders, so I cannot say for certain. Perhaps there’s so profound technique or special exception unknown to us."
Lei Jun said, "Then there should also be many restrictions."
Otherwise, it’s more likely soone would target a High rit Elder of the Celestial Master Mansion, plotting to possess them through a surprise attack and then use them as material. Although this too would be exceedingly difficult.
Considering this, the choice of Zhao Zongjie suggested sothing special about him that allowed for such an exception.
Unfortunately, Lei Jun and his master could not currently ascertain the truth of the matter.
What they were certain of was that although Zhao Zongjie was dead, within the Yellow Sky Sect, he could be deified, his na spoken in the sa breath as their founding patriarch. Whether his actions were voluntary or forced, at that mont, his prestige was enough to surpass that of Yu Qingling, Taoist Taiping, and the others, truly earning him the reputation of having saved the day by turning the tide against all odds.
As expected, news soon arrived.
Zhao Zongjie’s Closed-door Disciple, Yu Shao, inherited his master’s entire legacy, including his prestige. More importantly, he inherited the New Altar of the Yellow Sky Path. Although he did not imdiately beco the new Sect Leader of the Yellow Sky Sect, his rise to prominence was swift, and his prestige within the sect quickly surpassed that of Kang Ming, Chen Ziyang, Han Wuyou, and others.
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