Yellow Court Daoist

Atop Si Ming Peak.

The crowd fell silent, witnessing Lu Qingfeng's thunderous methods, none daring to speak out.

Lu Qingfeng paid them no mind, his gaze shifting to the respectfully standing Chuanshan True Immortal.

With a bitter taste in his mouth, Chuanshan True Immortal glanced at Zheng Chi, who knelt on the ground, never rising. His eyes trembled, and ultimately, he stepped forward, bowing deeply to Lu Qingfeng and said, "I have sinned. I beseech the Alliance Leader to mete out a light punishment. From now on, Chuanshan will follow the Alliance Leader's lead without a shred of disloyalty!"

"Hmm?"

Zhang Jingshan, Gongyang Ye, and the others showed puzzled expressions on their faces. Chuanshan True Immortal had been the first to speak out earlier, defending his teacher, so why was he now—

The thought dawned on them, and they all understood.

Gongyang Ye glared and pointed at Chuanshan True Immortal, raising his voice, "I always found your reaction earlier strange. Thinking back, your overreaction, vague and ambiguous, was clearly a performance staged with the likes of Yu Fengzi, in an attempt to publicly besmirch our teacher!"

It wasn't just Gongyang Ye.

Zhang Jingshan and the others had also come to the same realization.

It seemed that Chuanshan True Immortal, witnessing Zheng Chi, who knew of their plans, was now Lu Qingfeng's disciple and knowing that the deception couldn't last, he took the initiative to admit guilt. Otherwise, he might have still managed to fool them and escape his fate.

"Your crime is the same as Bai Luo's and Daoist Xiyi's."

"Live."

"Or die."

"Choose for yourself."

Lu Qingfeng gripped the green bamboo staff, rising to his feet as he spoke.

This motion frightened Chuanshan True Immortal into retreating, and he suddenly saw the corpses of Ancestor Master Bai Luo and Qing Baizi. Shocked, and realizing that just a simple green bamboo staff had captured five True Immortals, there was no choice left for Chuanshan True Immortal.

"I wish to be suppressed under Azure Dragon Mountain!"

Chuanshan True Immortal gave up the struggle.

Lu Qingfeng nodded slightly, gestured with the green bamboo staff towards Chuanshan True Immortal, and a gale kicked up, shaking the ground. The next moment, Chuanshan True Immortal was suppressed under Stone Lamp Peak.

...

Si Ming Peak.

The mountain wind gently blew, bathed in the light of the rosy dawn.

Daoist Qin Wei, the female cultivator, Zhang Jingshan, Gongyang Ye, Mu Yunzhou, Shen Lanqing, Mu Chen, and the other seven stood respectfully, with Zheng Chi kneeling on the ground, not daring to look up without Lu Qingfeng's permission.

After Lu Qingfeng had punished the five True Immortals,

Zheng Chi held the Divine Dragon Seal above his head, which contained Yu Fengzi, sealed within it. Zheng Chi said, "Yu Fengzi harbors malicious intent, I implore the teacher to decide his fate."

Lu Qingfeng glanced at the Divine Dragon Seal and, with a wave of the green bamboo staff, suppressed Yu Fengzi beneath Ascending Immortal Peak.

Afterwards,

He still did not allow Zheng Chi to rise.

Instead, he held the green bamboo staff, pacing around the summit of Si Ming Peak.

Noticing the puzzled looks from Zhang Jingshan and others,

He sighed deeply,

Seemingly reminiscing, and perhaps to clarify for Zhang Jingshan and the others, Lu Qingfeng spoke with a lingering voice, "Years ago, before the Blood Sea Calamity in the Five Directions Realm had begun, I had wandered the Southern Continent under the alias 'Qing Yuanzi', and took on three disciples. Among them, Ding Yu, the South Sea Alliance Leader, was the first disciple."

Zhang Jingshan and the others were visibly shaken, they listened intently as he began speaking, startling them with his words.

Although they had speculated, they were still taken aback.

"Qing Yuanzi."

"Qing Yuan Daoist."

"That was Teacher's alias?! So the South Sea Alliance Leader Ding Yu was actually Teacher's first disciple!"

Gongyang Ye was astounded. Thoughts racing, he suddenly turned his gaze to Daoist Qin Wei, "Wait! This Daoist Qin Wei claims to be the first disciple of Qing Yuan Daoist, yet Teacher mentioned taking on the South Sea Alliance Leader as a disciple, this—"

It didn't make sense.

Zhang Jingshan, Mu Chen, and the others also sensed something was off.

They stared at Daoist Qin Wei, puzzled.

"Over seven thousand years ago, through a twist of fate, I returned to this realm just in time to encounter Ding Yu's life dissipating, so I lent my assistance. It took two thousand five hundred years, using one hand to extend his life, and the other to refine an Immortal Pill for him. After two thousand five hundred years, I traveled the world again, extracting top Spirit Veins, and finally, Ding Yu ascended to the Earth Immortal Dao Fruit."

"For twelve hundred years within Twelve Dragon Immortal Ridge, I nurtured him, but due to a mishap, he fell from his Earth Immortal status and could only turn to Reincarnation."

Lu Qingfeng continued without immediate explanation.

Zhang Jingshan and the others listened closely.

Some information was known to them, like Ding Yu's life coming to an end, his lifetime's work, the "Star Constellation Great Method", scattered across the heavens, followed by his mysterious ascension to immortality.

As for the latter part,

Most thought that after achieving Earth Immortalhood, Ding Yu had ascended to the Immortal Realm from Twelve Dragon Immortal Ridge long ago.

Yet it turned out,

Just as Yu Fengzi and others claimed, Ding Yu did not ascend but instead met his end on Twelve Dragon Immortal Ridge.

Moreover, their teacher possessed the ability to transform an Earth Immortal. This realm of Earth Immortals was elusive; though they were True Immortals, they had never glimpsed a trace of it. But Teacher, by extending life, refining Immortal Pills, and gathering Spirit Veins, had apparently already created an Earth Immortal?!

Stunned for a moment,

Then they thought—

"Teacher."

"It is said that Earth Immortals are undying, how could they fall into the cycle of reincarnation?"

Gongyang Ye couldn't help but ask.

They had practiced cultivation for thousands of years, becoming True Immortals, all in pursuit of achieving Earth Immortalhood before running out of Life Span, to gain immortality. But now it seemed even Earth Immortals were not beyond the wheel of reincarnation.

"Indeed, Earth Immortals do not die and possess endless Life Span. However, if severely wounded, shaking their fundamental core, they can still perish."

"Ding Yu was at the end of his tether before advancing, and after his ascension, he did not diligently nourish himself or mend his foundation, resulting in his fall."

In this affair regarding Ding Yu and his romantic involvement with Fairy Yan Lan, Lu Qingfeng had no wish to delve into the specifics, offering only a brief answer before he carried on, "And so, I had no power to reverse this; I could only protect him entering reincarnation, to lead him back to the Immortal Dao in another lifetime. Two thousand eight hundred years ago, Ding Yu reincarnated, named 'Qin Wei'. After years had passed, just over a hundred years ago, he finally reached the realm of True Immortal."