Chapter 402: The Recorder of Past and Present (Thirteen)

Liu Yizhi's performance was outstanding.
He naturally distinguished himself from the outer sect, even mastering a complete spear technique. In the outer sect competition, he defeated Zhao Jingfu and numerous senior brothers and sisters, making a name for himself and securing a spot in the inner sect.
Liu Yizhi had only been in the sect for less than five years. He joined the Tianyuan Sect at the age of thirteen and, now just eighteen, entered the inner sect, becoming one of the legends of the outer sect.
Upon entering the inner sect, the pressure on Liu Yizhi increased dramatically. Although he had become a genius thanks to the mask, who among those who entered the inner sect wasn't a genius? Those were true geniuses, not a fake genius like himself relying on a mask.
However, Liu Yizhi didn't give up. He began to diligently slay demonic beasts and wanted demonic individuals, fulfilling his sect contributions. Leveraging the cultivation resources he had obtained from the inner sect elders, he gradually caught up with those geniuses, even showing signs of surpassing them.
Because Liu Yizhi knew that all he could do was work even harder than those geniuses.
Thirty years had passed in the blink of an eye since he entered the inner sect. During these thirty years, Liu Yizhi also understood which elder's legacy he had received from the sect's elders. The only one whose information matched was Elder Li Zhiyuan… Liu Yizhi gradually understood that Elder Li Zhiyuan was also the legendary masked figure who eradicated evil. With Elder Li Zhiyuan's death, the legendary masked figure who eradicated evil vanished, becoming a legend.
Ten more years passed in the blink of an eye, and Liu Yizhi successfully broke through to the Spirit Sea Realm.
He was not yet sixty years old, becoming a young elder of the Tianyuan Sect. After all… the lifespan of a Spirit Sea Realm cultivator was three hundred years. Breaking through to the Spirit Sea Realm in sixty years was still considered young among Spirit Sea Realm cultivators. He might even attempt to break through to the Spirit Soul Realm in the future.
Liu Yizhi hadn't forgotten his promise to Li Zhiyuan... He would help Li Zhiyuan avenge himself. Some of the demons who had once besieged Li Zhiyuan had grown old, some had been killed by others, and some had vanished without a trace. Liu Yizhi wasn't in a hurry; he waited patiently.
Finally, after a hundred years, Liu Yizhi killed the last demon, severing his head, and as usual, went to a secluded wilderness.
In the wilderness, besides a large tomb with a stone tablet, there were many skulls scattered around.
No, something was wrong.
Liu Yizhi noticed another figure in the cemetery—a weathered middle-aged man. Sensing something amiss, Liu Yizhi tried to leave, but it was too late. His steps were heavy, as if weighed down by lead, and he stood frozen in place.
"Grand...Grand Elder!"
The weathered middle-aged man was none other than the Grand Elder of the Tianyuan Sect, one of the sect's two great masters, a cultivator at the Tongxuan Realm!
Liu Yizhi's heart leaped into his throat, his mind went blank. The difference between the Spirit Sea Realm and the Spirit Soul Realm was already like an insurmountable chasm, let alone the Profound Realm, which was even higher.
My life is over!
Concealing an elder's death was a grave crime!
To Liu Yizhi's astonishment, the Grand Elder didn't slap him to death, nor did he sternly announce his punishment. Instead, he took the head from Liu Yizhi's hands, placing it around the gravesite among the skulls, and said calmly, "Well done."
Liu Yizhi wondered if he was hallucinating. What had the Grand Elder just said...? Was he praising him?
However, Liu Yizhi found that he seemed to be able to move again. This time, he didn't rush to run away, but instead looked puzzled.
The Grand Elder noticed his confusion and smiled, saying, "Do you think I would punish you?"
Liu Yizhi didn't reply, but his eyes betrayed him.
The Grand Elder wasn't angry, but simply chuckled, saying, "How could I be such a narrow-minded person? There are quite a few people in our Tianyuan Sect who have secrets. As long as your heart is with the sect, the sect won't pursue your secrets."
Liu Yizhi looked ashamed: "It was I who was narrow-minded. Thank you for your guidance, Grand Elder."
The Grand Elder nodded: "Your actions show that young Li has found a good successor. Cultivate diligently."
The Grand Elder's figure disappeared. Liu Yizhi's actions might have fooled others, but how could they have fooled a Transcendent Realm expert like him within the Tianyuan Sect?
"That mask...it seems somewhat familiar."
From a mountain peak, the vanished Grand Elder reappeared. His gaze swept towards Liu Yizhi's direction. The mask on Liu Yizhi's face looked familiar, yet he couldn't quite place where he'd seen it before. He could only conclude it was due to his age... The lifespan of a Transcendent Realm cultivator is eight hundred years, and he was now past halfway through.
...
In the blink of an eye, another hundred years passed. Liu Yizhi narrowly broke through to the Spirit Soul Realm.
However, the Mu Jing Dynasty was far from peaceful.
Demons and monsters were wreaking havoc, large and small, throughout the Mu Jing Dynasty. Even with timely intervention, the losses were still immense.
This led the people of the world to speculate: were the demons about to return?
In the battle of that year, the Mu Jing Dynasty suffered heavy losses, the power structure was reshaped, and the once-powerful royal family, without a Transcendent Realm king to oversee it, plummeted in status. Although nominally still royal, without a Transcendent Realm leader, the royal family was practically defunct.
Other forces either declined or rose, especially the Tianyuan Sect, which produced two Transcendent Realm experts, becoming undisputed uncrowned kings. While the Mujing Dynasty's royal family was nominally the ruler, in reality, the Tianyuan Sect could replace the Mujing Dynasty at any time if it so desired.
This was the shift in power over the past few centuries. The demons defeated years ago had indeed returned, and that ferocious demon, even centuries later, hadn't given up on his desire to massacre the Mujing Dynasty in order to break through to the Void Realm.
"What...the Mujing Dynasty's defenses have been breached?"
The sudden change caught everyone off guard. Before they could even understand what had happened, the border, guarded by countless indestructible formations and powerful experts, was swept away by the demon army.
Liu Yizhi realized the situation was serious. Perhaps the Demon King had broken through to the Void Realm and become the Demon Emperor? If so, the Tianyuan Sect was in grave danger of collapse.
As an elder of the Tianyuan Sect, he couldn't possibly remain uninvolved. Immediately, Liu Yizhi led a group of disciples to support the Mu Jing royal family.
Inside the Mu Jing royal family
Liu Yizhi discovered he had fallen into a trap. Powerful demons had appeared within the Mu Jing royal family's walls, and in mere moments, all reinforcements were surrounded, with no chance of escape.
"Why is this happening? You are the ruler of the Mu Jing Dynasty!"
"Why collude with demons and harm your own people?"
Liu Yizhi was heartbroken!
The border was lost not because the Demon King had broken through, but because the Mu Jing Dynasty royal family had colluded with the demons, working together in cahoots!
"Rulers? What a joke! Your Tianyuan Sect is the true ruler. My Mu Jing Dynasty is nothing but a dog raised by your Tianyuan Sect!"
"It's laughable that my third-generation ancestor of the Mu Jing Dynasty died fighting for the common people, only to have the fruits of his labor reaped by your Tianyuan Sect!"
The King of Mu looked at Liu Yizhi and the others from the Tianyuan Sect with eyes full of resentment. With the demon powerhouse's attack, Liu Yizhi was destined for doom.