The elders all nodded in agreement. The younger disciples present were people of experience and insight. Though what Li Xun said wasn’t exactly pleasant to hear, no one spoke up to argue.

Ming Song sighed. “That’s right. Even a heap of festering flesh and rotten sores still has weight. All the more so when the bones inside are as hard as iron and stone... Defense... well, in the end, it can’t be held. But as for attack, we really don’t have that ability either. So for now, we can only step back and avoid the edge of their blade.”

He let out another sigh. “We who walk the path of cultivation, our ways differ, and we have never truly worked together. Even when conflicts arise, they’re small and scattered, each sect fighting its own battles. Who would’ve thought that one day we’d face war just like the people of the mortal world... It’s rare and commendable that Mistress Tianzhi understands the difficulties of each sect and has proposed a temporary relocation. For that, we should be grateful.”

It was Tianzhi who proposed that? With her temperament, how could that be?

But by now, Li Xun finally understood what Mingsong meant a few days ago when he said, “The situation in the North Pole has taken a serious turn.”

He furrowed his brow, lost in thought about the key points, when the door opened. A disciple from the City That Never Sleeps stepped in with a message: “The City Lord requests all the senior masters to attend a meeting…” After a quick glance around, his eyes landed on Li Xun. “Also, Senior Brother Spirit Bamboo,” he added, “there’s an urgent matter at the patrol post. Please head there right away.”

Li Xun got up and looked toward Ming Song.

Ming Song gave a small nod and sighed softly. “So the day has come after all. Go on, then. The patrol outpost’s been under heavy pressure lately. Stay alert and be careful.”

Li Xun nodded silently. After bowing to the assembled immortal masters, he asked the disciple from Nightless City for more details, then hurried off.

As he neared the battle zone, Li Xun could already see, from a distance, a middle-aged Daoist in a purple-gold robe. The man’s face was dark and unassuming , yet his eyes were clear and bright, carrying a quiet, commanding spirit.

He stood at the center, while a dozen cultivators were spread across the land within a ten-li radius, all moving busily about.

Li Xun was slightly taken aback.

That ordinary-looking Daoist was none other than the master of Mystic Cycle Sect, Xuan Hua.

Though his own cultivation had reached only the True Person realm, in the path of sealing and alchemy, he was without question a grandmaster among grandmasters.

Li Xun had always held people like him in high regard.

He stepped forward to pay his respects. Though Xuan Hua was the head of a great sect, he had always been deeply devoted to the study of forbidden techniques. Toward disciples who showed insight or originality in that field, he was known for his warmth and approachability.

When he saw Li Xun coming, a smile spread across his face. “Spirit Bamboo, you’ve come at just the right time. You’ve heard about what’s happening over there, haven’t you?”

By “what’s happening over there,” he naturally meant the planned relocation of Nightless City.

He said it casually, but Li Xun didn’t dare treat it that way. His face grew serious as he replied, then quickly moved past the topic and asked respectfully, “Immortal Master Xuan Hua, may I ask why you’ve called me here?”

Seeing him like that, Xuan Hua let out a sigh. He didn’t say anything more and went straight to the point.

He pointed to where he was standing, motioning for Li Xun to come over. Then reached out and sketch out the surrounding terrain.

“This place is about four hundred li from Nightless City, and thirty li from the Aurora Barrier. Now tell me, if you were to link the Aurora Barrier with the ‘Eternal Night Aurora’ formation within the city, merging them into one seamless whole, how would you do it?”

Li Xun immediately understood. This was preparation for the Nightless City to relocate in its entirety.

This buffer zone between them and Rogue Cultivators’ Alliance could no longer rely on simple sensing or detection formations. What was needed now was a vast, high-level barrier formation stretching for thousands of li.

And without a doubt, this was precisely what the Mystic Cycle Sect excelled at.

The fact that Xuan Hua was asking his opinion meant he regarded Li Xun as someone “worth guiding.” It was clear proof of the standing Li Xun had now earned among the orthodox sects. A good thing, certainly, but he didn’t let it go to his head. Instead, he took the matter seriously, thought it through, and, rather than answering directly, raised another crucial point.

“I’ve heard, Immortal Master, that while the ‘Eternal Night Aurora’ formation is indeed formidable, it still requires someone to control it...”

He left the sentence hanging, but his meaning was perfectly clear.

Xuan Hua nodded with clear satisfaction. “It’s good that you’ve thought of that; it shows how thorough you are. But you don’t yet know the true method of this relocation. The Mistress’ intent is…”

His eyes sharpened as he spoke the words slowly: “Not to yield a single inch of land!”

“Not a single inch of land!”

Li Xun murmured the words again, feeling a chill run straight through his heart.

By now, he understood Mistress Tianzhi much more deeply. And he knew her mind held depths far beyond guessing.

After all, this was a legacy passed down for ten thousand years. An ancestral foundation. For her to take such a resolute stance, her intentions could hardly be simple...

That thought flashed through his mind, and in the next instant, he grasped what Xuan Hua meant.

“So the Immortal Master intends to take the ‘Eternal Night Aurora’ as the sword, use the earth-veins qi surrounding the Nightless City as the hilt, and make the Ten-Thousand Li wide Aurora Barrier its sheath... wherever the blade within strikes, nothing will be spared?”

Xuan Hua stroked his short beard and nodded with a half-smile, but then sighed. “That would turn the thousand li around Nightless City into a wasteland. It’s a last resort. If we can’t dissolve it quickly, the surrounding primordial qi will only flow in, not out. Within a hundred years, this world will have one more Forbidden Land.”

Li Xun paid that no mind.

Understanding Xuan Hua’s plan, he looked out over the long stretch of land between Nightless City and the North Sea. The terrain was flat, utterly unsuited for laying down restrictions or formations.

Still, the Mystic Cycle Sect was known for its “winding path to hidden peaks” approach. Turning the impossible into the possible. That part didn’t worry him.

What really mattered was how the two sects’ forbidden techniques could be joined together so seamlessly that not a single flaw remained...

“I’ve seen quite a few of the restrictions you’ve designed.” Xuan Hua said gently. “They may not all be perfect, but the transitions and connections always show clever insight. From what I can tell, you build on the Mingxin Seven Forbidden Patterns as your foundation, and though you draw on other schools as well, you manage to blend them into a single whole. That’s a rare gift. And it’s what makes your forbidden techniques truly valuable.”

Xuan Hua’s meaning was clear enough.

So that was it. The old Daoist valued his unique way of working through problems. In most cases, that talent was useful but not critical. Now, though, when the goal was to merge the two sects’ forbidden arts into a smooth, unified system, Xuan Hua had called him in. Even if he couldn’t lead the whole effort, his insight at key points could still make all the difference.

Unfortunately, the old Daoist didn’t yet know that after the Mist-Hidden Pavilion affair, Li Xun had inherited the distilled essence of the Unspoken Sect’s sealing techniques. His skill in this path had since taken a great leap forward. He was no longer the same as before.

Of course, there was no need to mention any of that. With a chance to study the Mystic Cycle Sect and Nightless City’s supreme-level sealing arts up close, how could he possibly refuse?

Seeing his willingness, Xuan Hua nodded approvingly and produced a jade slip, handing it to him.

“This is a draft that the Mistress and I have been working on these past few days. It’s still rough, but decent enough to look over. Take a look first; if you have any thoughts, we can discuss them.”

Li Xun replied, “I wouldn’t dare,” and accepted the slip. Sweeping it with his spiritual sense, he saw an intricate diagram of a complex sealing formation, along with several explanatory notes on techniques that were normally kept strictly secret.

He couldn’t help but admire Xuan Hua’s openness. Still, he knew this wasn’t something he could study in a short time, so he put the jade slip away for now and waited for Xuan Hua’s next instructions.

Noting his composure, Xuan Hua gave a small nod and went on, “During this period, we can’t afford interference from the other side. Your patrol teams will have to work a little harder. Fortunately, in the next few days, Ban Cheng the Lay Monk will be here to chant sutras and release the lingering souls. If any trouble arises, we’ll rely on him to help manage it.”

For a moment, Li Xun was startled by the name “Ban Cheng the Lay Monk.” Then, noticing the shift in Xuan Hua’s tone, he caught on to the meaning. Turning his head, he saw a gray-robed cultivator approaching from a few yards away. Who else could it be but the Winged Flying Tiger himself?

Li Xun straightened slightly, alert. Of course he knew that this demon had already arrived in Nightless City.

But he’d been out on patrol these past few days and hadn’t run into him yet. He’d only dealt with Hu Buli and others from the Three Sovereigns Sword Sect.

Having witnessed the Lay Monk’s confrontation with Yin Wanderer, Li Xun didn’t dare take him lightly.

The Lay Monk might have an easygoing temper, but those eyes. Eyes that had seen through the ways of the world over ten thousand years. They were sharp and dangerous.

Li Xun bowed in greeting. As he lowered his head, he felt the man’s gaze sweep over him. Calm, restrained, carrying a quiet warmth.

Then that deep, resonant voice sounded: “Spirit Bamboo, is it? Impressive. I’ve heard that name more than a few times. To stand against Hundred Ghosts for years without losing ground, that’s no small feat.”

Li Xun’s heart gave a jolt. He lifted his head, letting just the right touch of puzzlement show on his face.

The Lay Monk’s simple, rugged features softened into a smile. He gave Li Xun a slight small nod of acknowledgment, then turned to address Xuan Hua.

“On my way to Nightless City, I happened to be traveling with the Sword Emperor’s daughter and her disciples,” he said. “We ran into Yin Wanderer by chance, and I couldn’t help breaking my vows and trading a few blows with her. Back then, she was already traveling with that Hundred Ghosts. Something about that pairing struck me as very strange.”

Xuan Hua’s expression shifted. “Yin Wanderer has returned to the world?” he asked in surprise.

The Lay Monk gave a slight nod. “Yin Chonghua’s composure and restraint far surpass what they were in the past. I exchanged a few moves with her and could tell her cultivation has grown stronger. That much I could accept. But what I didn’t expect was how remarkable Hundred Ghost has become. Yuji told me afterward…”

He went on to describe how Li Xun had been ambushed by an assassin from the Falling Feather Sect. When he finished, he added with genuine admiration, “They say this man used to be just an average rogue in the cultivation world. But ever since he joined the Shadow-Devouring Soul Sect, it’s been only sixty or seventy years, and he’s already reached this level of power. His progress might be comparable only to that of the late Master Ghost.”

After a brief pause, he turned to Li Xun. “I don’t know exactly how deep your cultivation runs, but anyone whose name is spoken alongside Hundred Ghosts can’t be lacking. Good, very good. The path of cultivation is anything but smooth. Having a worthy opponent to push and refine yourself against is far more effective than cultivating behind closed doors.

“Back in the day, Zhong Yin may have stood alone as a prodigy, but if not for him setting the standard, how could we have the flourishing scene we see today, with so many masters rising in his wake?”

His words carried a logic much like what Ming Ji had said not long ago. Naturally, Li Xun adopted a look of humble attentiveness, yet his bearing remained calm and dignified. Neither servile nor arrogant.

The Lay Monk gave a half-smile, his eyes narrowing as he gazed toward the line where sea met sky. His expression was deep and unreadable, leaving you to wonder what he was thinking.

Xuan Hua called Li Xun over, went over a few instructions, and then led the Lay Monk toward the shore. Before long, the gentle chant of Buddhist sutras was echoing across the sea and sky.

The Lay Monk’s “ritual” went on for five days without pause.

Whether it was the boundless power of the Dharma or simply the lingering awe inspired by the Winged Flying Tiger, no one could say... but for those five days, not a single troublemaker dared cross into the area.

The sect members stationed here decided to shift their duties to other areas to lend a hand, which gave the cultivators from the various sects a bit of unexpected free time.

Li Xun, however, wasn’t nearly that lucky.

As the vast array of defensive formations in the buffer zone was gradually laid down, nearly every disciple from the Nine Sects with any skill in forbidden techniques was roped in to help with the work.

Within the Mystic Cycle Sect, more than a dozen experts under Xuan Hua formed the core team, but even so, disciples like Li Xun, whose mastery of the craft was considerable, ended up being assigned far more tasks than most. He barely had a moment’s rest each day.

Fortunately, those days were almost over.

Just yesterday, the first group of cultivators had already withdrawn from Nightless City. Most were young disciples with limited cultivation, around three hundred in total. Once they left, the city immediately felt much emptier.

In about an hour, the second wave of departing cultivators would be setting out as well.