"Such a joke, Senior Brother!" The rotund Taoist chortled, his laughter easing the tension in the air. At this point, two figures made of mist had fully formed and were floating towards them. The Taoist, however, stretched out his hand and pointed, his posture stern as he admonished, "Jokes are fine, but going overboard is not. Who exactly were you trying to scare by summoning that Misty Flowing Beast? Junior Brother Yu or Old Li? Don't get me into trouble!"

He then introduced Yu Ci to the Tu Brothers from the Empirical Department, "These are the Tu Brothers, a pair of twins and rising stars in our Sect. You're about the same age, so take this opportunity to get acquainted. I'm sure you'll get along in the future."

Before Yu Ci could respond, the two figures in the mist humphed in unison, their dissatisfaction clearly unmasked. Yu Ci was puzzled. He hadn't even stepped foot into the Sect's Mountain Gate, so how had he offended these two unfamiliar Sect disciples? And the rotund Taoist, what was his stance when he had guided him to take a "shortcut" and when he "scolded" the Tu Brothers?

Noticing the atmosphere growing tense again, Taoist Li expressed his discontent, still admonishing the Tu Brothers, "Enough with your antics, both of you. The nature of the Sheer Cliff City has long been established. If you have any objections, take them up with Elder Xie or even Grandmaster Xing. Why vent your anger on Junior Brother Yu?"

Taoist Li, who held some authority within the Sect, made the Tu Brothers falter. One of them mumbled, "Who wanted to overturn the verdict for the White Sun Mansion?"

The other quickly added, "How should we account for the extermination of an entire family?"

Upon hearing this, Taoist Li shook his head and glanced at Yu Ci before saying, "In the end, it's all about the matter concerning young Kuang. Considering you're both older, why not discuss your doubts with Junior Brother Yu directly? What's the point of scheming behind his back...Wait a minute, the message about the Merit Points on the Sect's bulletin board, the one that I was supposed to use to tease Junior Brother Yu, you didn't set that up, did you? Damn it, haven't I become your accomplice?"

Realizing he had let something slip, he scratched his head awkwardly and smiled at Yu Ci, "No hard feelings, brother. It's rare to find such an easy deal on the mountain. I just couldn't resist. How about we split those Merit Points fifty-fifty later?"

Yu Ci laughed, now having a rough understanding of the situation.

Regardless of the Tu Brothers' intentions, Taoist Li's art of speech was indeed commendable, and his style of action was smooth. With this explanation, Yu Ci understood that there were people on the mountain, like the Tu Brothers, who were dissatisfied with his destructive actions in Sheer Cliff City against the White Sun Mansion. The crux of the conflict lay with "young Kuang" - presumably Kuang Yan Qi.

It seemed that Kuang Yan Qi had a knack for making himself likable when he was at the Sect's Mountain Gate.

As for Taoist Li, Yu Ci considered him to be of a relatively neutral faction. Although he had taken on a task to sabotage him, once he realized that the Tu Brothers' scheme conflicted with his own interests, he immediately came clean. His response was measured and even carried a hint of goodwill.

Or perhaps, he had known all along that this would happen and had come especially to join in the excitement?

Yu Ci pondered Taoist Li's attitude, but he simply nodded at the misty figures of the Tu Brothers, his demeanor neither warm nor cold. He said calmly, "The survival of the White Sun Mansion is up to them. I alone cannot kill hundreds of them... Moreover, on the day the White Sun Mansion was destroyed, Kuang Yan Qi was nowhere to be found."

The Tu Brothers' misty figures appeared to be taken aback, clearly surprised by Yu Ci's response. After a moment of silence, one of them, whether it was the elder or the younger, finally said:

"Tell that to Senior Brother Zhou..."

Yu Ci glanced at Taoist Li, who grinned at the Tu Brothers, "Senior Brother Zhou is the head of the Empirical Department and a role model for us junior brothers. He naturally understands the Sect's decisions. Now, now, no fight, no acquaintance, let's all get to know each other."

He pointed at the misty figures in front and turned to Yu Ci, "Tu Rilun, Tu Rifei, they're known as Big Tu and Little Tu in the Sect. They were able to Astral Travel thousands of miles at the age of twenty-eight, a feat not many in the Sect can accomplish. Like you, they are young men with boundless futures.

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"Big Tu, Little Tu, you've met Junior Brother Yu. Their cultivation level may not be much stronger than yours, but you should learn from their conduct... Ah, never mind that for now. That Misty Flowing Beast over there is relentless. Let's get out of here first!"

With that, he spurred his Sword Energy, carrying Yu Ci upwards in a swift ascent. The Tu Brothers exchanged a look, still not quite convinced, but it would be rude to just leave like this. After a moment's hesitation, they followed suit.

Under the full control of the portly Taoist, the journey didn't last very long. Yu Ci's vision brightened once again as the Sword Energy pierced through the clouds, soaring above them, revealing a vast expanse of clarity.

The jade belt nestled between the mountains they passed earlier was merely a river flowing through a canyon, treacherous and difficult to describe in its vastness. However, the scene before Yu Ci now was a genuine, boundless sea of clouds. His gaze stretched out to the horizon, dotted here and there with the faint silhouettes of unique peaks, shrouded and revealed intermittently by the mist-like clouds. With his keen eyes, Yu Ci even spotted birds of vibrant colors fluttering above.

"This truly is a paradise on earth..."

No sooner had he praised the view than he broke out into a smile. It indeed felt like paradise, but hardly an earthly one. The jolly Taoist beside him remained silent, while the Tu Brothers who had caught up from behind chimed in unison:

"A paradise? Not until you've passed Snowfall Waterfall!"

The brothers had practiced the sect's secret method "Heart Blood Spirit Rhinoceros", allowing them to communicate telepathically and connect their auras. Their statement was not surprising, but it did pique Yu Ci's curiosity. He asked with a smile:

"Could you two Senior Brothers tell me about this Snowfall Waterfall?"

The group exchanged glances. Taoist Li was right, regardless of cultivation level, when it came to interpersonal skills, Yu Ci far surpassed the Tu Brothers who had spent too much time in the mountains, their minds pure and simple. With Taoist Li there to mediate, Yu Ci wasn't worried about creating an awkward atmosphere. He playfully engaged the group in conversation, leaving the two brothers somewhat at a loss.

Yu Ci took this opportunity to learn about the geographical features along the way to the Sect's Mountain Gate.

According to Taoist Li and the others, this 1,200-mile "Heavenly Passage River" was actually a powerful Mountain Protection Formation that the Lichen Sect had painstakingly set up over tens of thousands of years. This Array Formation was known as "Heavenly Nine Bends", symbolizing the nine layers of the Mountain Protection Formation. With each layer, the protective force doubled, lifting the Spirit Vein Earth Qi, enabling the Sect's Mountain Gate to stand firm in the vast void, drawing the essence of heaven and earth, and creating a Sacred Cultivation Ground.

Such grandeur was characteristic of a major Sect. Had he not come here in person, how could Yu Ci have comprehended the miraculous means involved?

"That Snowfall Waterfall is the first bend of Heavenly Nine Bends. Only by ascending against the current from there can one truly witness the ethereal beauty of the divine landscape. I assure you, my junior brother, your eyes will feast on the sight... Eh?"

As Taoist Li was speaking, his plump face froze in surprise. Shortly after, Yu Ci and the Tu Brothers also sensed something. Lifting their heads, they saw at the distant horizon, two streaks of sword light were chasing each other, clashing in mid-air. Judging from their swift movements, there was no doubt that they were both formidable fighters. The collision of their Sword Energy caused an explosion of air, stirring up a violent storm and churning the sea of clouds.

What a lively scene it was.

The sword light was clearly flying towards them. Yu Ci glanced at Taoist Li again. He had already discovered that if he had any questions, asking this affable, chubby Taoist would likely yield a satisfactory answer nine times out of ten.

However, this time, before Taoist Li could speak, the Tu Brothers had already cried out:

"Senior Brother Zhan, and... Senior Brother Li, he has left his seclusion!"

No sooner had these words fallen than a voice from afar called out, "Old Zhan, you better not run off! Explain clearly to me what Junior Brother Yu has done to provoke you. How can you be so relentless and shameless?"

The booming voice echoed over. As Yu Ci was taken aback, Taoist Li and the Tu Brothers turned to look at him. Yu Ci finally came to his senses, his chest warming, "It's Senior Brother Li You!"

Taoist Li shook his head and waggled his finger, "Ah You, this time after his seclusive cultivation, has finally activated the Mechanism of the Cauldron and achieved the Golden Elixir. Among our generation, including him, there are only ten who have reached this stage before the age of forty. Quite remarkable! As for Old Zhan, well, trouble has certainly brewed. And you two... when you return, Senior Brother Zhou will surely scold you!"

The last sentence was directed at the Tu Brothers. It was fortunate that the two brothers had bodies formed of mist, so their blushing faces were not visible. Then, the chubby Taoist lowered his voice, leaning into Yu Ci's ear, "Since the trouble has already happened, I'll play the villain... Junior Brother Yu, the Merit Points task I accepted was issued by Old Zhan. He tried to hide it from me, so don't blame me, alright?"

Yu Ci bowed his hand in salute, "How could I dare?"

With that, he couldn't help but laugh. Before even entering the Sect's Mountain Gate, such interesting things had already happened. It was indeed quite amusing.