Chapter 397: Recorders of Past and Present (Part 8)

The masked youth gazed upon Su Chen's corpse.
He buried Su Chen's body and erected a stone tablet.
Ever since he put on the mask,
the youth felt he had become somewhat different.
He didn't know exactly how.
After burying Su Chen, he returned to the dimly lit attic, looking at the numerous scrolls and books, and a sudden calm settled in his heart.
He would stay here, waiting for the next person to arrive.
The youth had a name: Liu Hu.
From that day forward,
the recorder of the Tianyuan Sect changed from Su Chen to Liu Hu.
"The sect's recorder has changed?"
Sun Ao remembered that before he left the sect, the person recording the information of the sect's disciples and elders was an old man.
Now it was a masked youth.
This change caused Sun Ao to sigh slightly.
The youth's answer confirmed Sun Ao's suspicions.
The masked youth said, "That was my teacher. He passed away not long ago, and the position of the sect's recorder fell to me."
Sun Ao nodded.
He had no connection with Su Chen and was only asking casually.
"I need to record someone."
"His name is Li Li."
Liu Hu followed Sun Ao's dictation and recorded Li Li's name.
Li Li, a disciple of the Tianyuan Sect, later became an elder of the sect, highly respected by all disciples.
When the Mujing Dynasty was invaded by demons, Li Li, along with Elder Wang, Elder Jiang, and other elders, led many Tianyuan Sect disciples to assist the Mujing Dynasty in resisting the demons.
The demons were overwhelming, breaking through the first barrier. Elder Li Li fought to the death against the demon tide.
Sun Ao examined the records and then left. He had fulfilled Li Li's last wish. Now that the Mujing Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, the Tianyuan Sect had many matters to attend to.
He wouldn't waste any more time here.
After Sun Ao left, Liu Hu placed the scroll recording Li Li's deeds in a prominent position.
The war in the Mu Jing Dynasty was tense.
People came here almost every day.
The front lines between the demons and the Mu Jing Dynasty were like a bottomless pit.
This pit was filled with countless lives.
The Tian Yuan Sect, once a vast and vibrant sect, should have had many disciples.
But now, it appeared stagnant and lifeless.
In less than a year, less than one-tenth of the Tian Yuan Sect's disciples and elders remained.
The once great sect seemed to have returned to its former state as a desolate hilltop.
Even so, the situation at the front lines remained dire.
A steady stream of powerful figures died.
Fortunately, their deaths were not meaningless.
The Mu Jing Dynasty learned of the demons' purpose in invading the Mu Jing Dynasty.
A demon king at the peak of the King level sought to use the beings of the Mu Jing Dynasty as nourishment to break through the Void Realm barrier in one fell swoop and become the Demon Emperor.
Peak King level... that's equivalent to the ninth level of the Profound Realm in humans. Although the Mu Jing Dynasty also has a Profound Realm expert, the strongest among them is only at the fourth level... Unless there's a special physique, the human body is weaker than demons in every aspect, so even those at the same realm are no match, let alone those five minor realms higher.
Moreover, the demon king invading the Mu Jing Dynasty has more King-level subordinates than the entire Mu Jing Dynasty!
Liu Hu looked outside the sect.
Unbeknownst to him, a layer of dark clouds had appeared above the Tianyuan Sect.
Moments later, as the torrential rain poured down, streaks of pale lightning, like dragons, surged within the dark clouds.
Liu Hu noticed that this cloud formation only enveloped the Tianyuan Sect; outside, the sky remained clear and cloudless—a bizarre contrast in weather.
Before the Tianyuan Sect members could react, a bolt of lightning covering an entire mountain crashed down, its terrifying power capable of leveling everything within a hundred miles!
"There's someone in that lightning!"
The Tianyuan Sect members noticed a figure faintly visible within the lightning.
The figure gradually became clearer as it approached.
It was a middle-aged man with a refined face and gentle expression. His long hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, with a few stray strands falling beside his ears. He wore a plain white Daoist robe, untouched by the lightning.
"It's the Sect Master!"
This man was none other than the Sect Master of the Tianyuan Sect, the legendary figure, Ruan Jingtian.
"Was that the legendary Tribulation of Transcending the Profound Realm...? The Sect Master has broken through to the Profound Realm!"
In the entire Mu Jing Dynasty, there are only two people who have reached the Profound Realm.
One is an ancestor of the Mu Jing Dynasty.
The other is the current number one sect, the martial artist who has suppressed the Mu Jing Dynasty's martial arts for three hundred years.
Now, the third person is the Sect Master of the Tian Yuan Sect, who has broken through to the Profound Realm in less than two hundred years of cultivation. His talent surpasses even that of the Mu Jing Dynasty's ancestor, and his future is limitless.
The Profound Realm grants a lifespan of eight hundred years.
A Sect Master emerging from seclusion to break through to the Profound Realm should be a joyous occasion, but within the Tian Yuan Sect, there are fewer than a hundred such individuals.
"Father, you've broken through!"
Ruan Hongyao was overjoyed to see Ruan Jingtian successfully break through.
"Sect Master!"
Sun Ao was with Ruan Hongyao.
Ruan Jingtian looked at the two of them, a smile spreading across his face.
"The Mu Jing Dynasty is on the verge of collapse. Father is about to travel to the border to meet that Demon King."
Ruan Jingtian was optimistic, but at this moment, listening to Ruan Jingtian's words, a selfish thought arose in Ruan Hongyao's mind for the first time.
"Father...can you not go?"
Faced with Ruan Hongyao's words, Ruan Jingtian's smile vanished, and he sternly retorted, "Nonsense! Do you think your father is afraid of death?"
"You must know that your senior brothers, sisters, junior brothers, and uncles all died at the hands of demons. This is a deep-seated hatred etched in the hearts of my Tianyuan Sect. If I don't go, the Mujing Dynasty will be conquered by demons, hundreds of millions of people will become their food, and the entire Mujing Dynasty's tens of millions of miles of territory will become a paradise for demons!"
"I have always wanted you to understand what is righteousness and what is petty righteousness. Petty righteousness can be ignored, but righteousness cannot be shirked. Hongyao... you have disappointed me too much."
Ruan Hongyao's face was pale: "Father...but...but..."
Seeing Ruan Hongyao's tearful face, Ruan Jingtian stroked her head and said, "After Father leaves, you will be the ninth sect master of Tianyuan Sect. The heavy responsibility of the sect will fall on your shoulders."
Ruan Jingtian looked to the side and said, "Sun Ao."
Sun Ao nodded: "Sect Master, this disciple wants to go to the battlefield with you and contribute to the victory against the demons."
Ruan Jingtian shook his head: "The battlefield doesn't need you. The final victory will be decided by us, not you. After I leave, the sect will need you more than the battlefield."
"You're still young. The burden of supporting the Mu Jing Dynasty and fighting the Demon King shouldn't fall on a young person like you. It's the responsibility of us old folks."
Sun Ao wanted to say something, but Ruan Jingtian interrupted him: "Hongyao also needs your assistance... If things become unbearable, you must take Hongyao and leave, to preserve the last spark for me and for the sect."
Sun Ao finally nodded heavily.