Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Upon hearing the name Emei Sword Sect, Yan Yu immediately realized the essence of this Mysterious Realm:

It really is just a dream!

Merely the dream memory of the dormant Sun True Obscure Sword.

"So that's how it is." Mei Yingxue also understood and transmitted a message to Yan Yu, "Back then, the Emei Sword Sect was not called Emei Sword Sect, but was known as the Shushan Shangqing Sect, which once possessed two Divine Swords of the Human Race."

"Later, it remains unclear how the Taiyin Su Ming Sword was lost, but the whereabouts of the Sun True Obscure Sword can now be confirmed. It was because the power of the Shangqing Sect had already waned, leaving only its influence on Emei Mountain, and faced with being besieged by strong enemies, the last Sect Leader Chen Yanwei believed the sect was on the brink of destruction. To prevent the Divine Sword from falling into enemy hands, he chose to secretly flee with the sword."

"In fact, his act of taking away the Sun True Obscure Sword indeed led to the demise of the Shushan Shangqing Sect. Emei Sword Sect rose and fell several times afterwards, but never returned to the Shangqing Sect's period of prosperity—apparently, Sun True Obscure Sword feels remorseful about this, and this dream realm arises from its regret."

"I have a question." Yan Yu pondered, "If the Sun True Obscure Sword is a Divine Sword of the Human Race, why couldn't Chen Yanwei, as the Sun Sword Master, defeat the strong enemies around Shushan? Was it because he was too weak?"

"It should be because he was too weak." Mei Yingxue gave a definitive guess, "Consider the Sun True Obscure Sword as a tremendous power amplifier; if the sword master's fundamental strength is too weak, even with amplification, he won't become significantly stronger."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure, but that's the only reasonable explanation I can think of."

"Alright then." Yan Yu decided to temporarily accept this explanation, as the person indeed didn't seem very formidable previously in the Zhenmei Sword Sect's Mysterious Realm.

From this perspective, the Sun True Obscure Sword seems a bit pitiable. Clearly a Divine Sword of the Human Race, yet unable to resolve the strong enemies around the Shushan Shangqing Sect due to the sword master's inadequate strength, leading to the eventual disappearance of the sect that had revered it for centuries in the history of the Cultivation World.

However, considering it rationally, the Sun True Obscure Sword must have chosen Chen Yanwei as the sword master because there wasn't a stronger Sword Immortal within the sect at the time.

In other words, if the Shushan Shangqing Sect was at that level, wasn't its extinction inevitable?

Yan Yu's mind was racing with countless thoughts, and unknowingly he and Mei Yingxue followed the "junior brother" using Sword Control to the Ancestor Hall.

In the Cultivation World, for a sect, the most important thing is "respecting teachers and valuing the path."

Teacher, Ancestor; Path, Cultivation heritage. Simply put, a cultivator must know who their Ancestor is and understand their Cultivation heritage.

The Ancestor Hall was born from this concept, enshrining the memorial tablets of successive Sect Leaders. While it is called "Ancestor Hall" in Emei Sword Sect or Shushan Shangqing Sect, other sects might use different names, but they certainly have similar places of reverence.

Besides grand ancestral worship ceremonies, the Ancestor Hall serves a more routine function: meetings.

When Yan Yu and Mei Yingxue arrived, they saw several elders vehemently arguing. Disciples and followers anxiously surrounded them as if the sky was falling.

"Things have come to this, we can only seek assistance from East Kunlun." Elder A, with a beard flecked with white, insisted.

"East Kunlun?" Yan Yu glanced at Mei Yingxue.

"In my era, the Kunlun Mountains housed two sects." Mei Yingxue explained, "East Kunlun inherited the orthodox traditions of the ancient Kunlun Taiching Sect, while West Kunlun was comprised of a group of demon monks from the Demon Path."

"East Kunlun is struggling to protect itself now; how can it have the time to aid us?" The red-faced Elder B retorted, "We might as well rally our forces and fight our way out! Even if it costs me my life, I will ensure the sect's seed is protected!"

This elder was evidently from the Martial Arts Sect, believing that no other sect could be trusted and that only a desperate fight was the way forward.

Yet, seeing the expressions of the other elders didn't agree, it was clear that the power comparison between the Emei Sword Sect and its external enemies indicated that even an all-or-nothing gamble would likely result in no chance of overturning the situation.

"If we fight our way out, we'll just end up dead to the last." Elder C, whose face was ashen, spoke, "I suggest we disguise the Inner Sect Disciples and scatter them into various villages around Shushan, living incognito for a few decades. Once the turmoil passes, we can revive the Emei legacy."

"History did indeed unfold this way." Mei Yingxue transmitted a message, "Though the Shangqing Sect was destroyed, not all Sword Immortals perished on the spot. The later Emei Sword Sect was established by the survivors of the Shangqing Sect."

"If that's the case, why hesitate?" Yan Yu asked, "Sending everyone to conceal their identities until they rise again seems perfect, doesn't it?"

"The path to immortality." Mei Yingxue answered, "If the sect is dissolved and reformed a century later, is it still the original sect?"

How could it not be... Yan Yu was about to retort, but quickly realized.

Mei Yingxue was born in Emei Sword Sect, so she certainly knew how much of the Shangqing Sect's heritage Emei Sword Sect truly inherited, right?

Since she said so, there must be significant pitfalls in this method.

"Disperse into fragments? How to disperse into fragments?" Just as Yan Yu pondered, Elder D began to shout, "I ask you, who will you entrust with taking away and preserving the sect's Swordsmanship secret techniques?"