Three dayster.


    Dong! Dong! Dong...


    The sect''s golden bell rang nine times in session, awakening all disciples.


    Regardless of whether they were cultivating or performing alchemy and artifact refining, all emerged from seclusion and flew towards the main hall of the Earth Fire Pce.


    Qi Refinement Realm disciples held solemn expressions, while Foundation Establishment Real People entered the hall,ying eyes upon Elder Tang, seated at the uppermost position.


    "Greetings, Elder Tang!"


    Zhou Yi waved his hand and his gaze swept over the eight Foundation Establishment cultivators in the hall as he spoke slowly, "Not long ago, Brother Feng passed away." Continue your saga on mvl


    Upon hearing this, all Real People abruptly stood up, their expressions tense and somber, bowing in the direction of the Mysterious Fire Hall.


    "Farewell, Elder Feng!"


    "Brother Feng has cultivated his mind and character in recent years, never involving himself in conflicts or magical fights, his lifespan should have had three to four decades remaining."


    Zhou Yi didn''t specte on what they were thinking; it was nothing more than suspicions that Feng Yang''s silent death was very likely the handiwork of someone he trusted. He simply said, "Let''s go and investigate the cause of death together. If there is foul y, we must seek revenge for our brother!"


    A group of people exhibited their flying lights and arrived at the seclusion chamber of the Mysterious Fire Hall.


    Feng Yang had white hair, his eyes slightly closed, sitting quietly on a meditation cushion as if he were just an ordinary living person, if not for the aura of death surrounding him.


    Even if a Golden Elixir True Monarch had practiced for hundreds of years without cultivating Body Refining Techniques, the physical body, nourished by mana, would be as strong as refined metal, remaining incorruptible in a grave for a century.


    Sect Leader Yuan Qi knelt to one side. Hearing footsteps, he looked up at the neers, "Greetings, Elder Tang."


    "Condolences."


    Zhou Yi''s Divine Sense swept through the seclusion chamber''s formations and restrictions, finding no traces of violent destruction. He then examined Feng Yang''s corpse closely, which disyed apletely normal end of life''s journey.


    "The absence of a problem is the biggest problem! If Brother Feng had died a natural death, he would have surely sent a message to me and all of you before he passed to make arrangements for the sect''s affairs, not quietly passing away like this!"


    "Elder Tang''s words make sense."


    Hearing this, a few Foundation Establishment Real People breathed a sigh of relief deep down and started using their spells to investigate.


    As expected, there were no clues, andpared to the sect''s recorded annals, Feng Yang''s manner of death was no different from that of past elders.


    Zhou Yi asked, "Has the Sect Leader noticed anything unusual in thest few days?"


    Yuan Qi recalled carefully, "Reporting back to Elder Tang, I went to greet my master yesterday, and it seemed his hair had turned significantly whiter."


    Zhou Yi had a vague guess in his heart; the Cultivation World was full of various heretical paths, and a few curse techniques that could deplete life were not unusual.


    "Brother Feng must have been secretly harmed by some evil method. However, investigate this matter privately, do not publicize it, to prevent causing chaos in the sect and giving those demons an opportunity!"


    "We will strictly follow the Supreme decree!"


    With only one Supreme Elder remaining in the Earth Fire Pce, since he set the tone for this matter, no Real Person would disobey.


    Yuan Qi then announced the death to the sect, and all disciples were filled with sorrow; they had all been protected by Feng Yang since birth, which had allowed them to cultivate in peace until now. The news of his death was like the falling of the heavens for them.


    During the turmoil in the Eastern Sea, all funeral arrangements were kept simple, with only a few close friends from his lifetime being invited.


    ...


    The Fire Bamboo Forest.


    A mist of ghosts swirled, with bursts of chilly wind.


    The Blood Moon Demon Monarch kept consuming pills to refine and ease the bacsh of the curse as much as possible.


    Huo Yan''s expressions were abnormally excited; he had already started nning how to manage and grow the sect after gaining control, and whether or not changing the somewhat petty name of the Earth Fire Pce once he united the Eastern Sea.


    "If I''m not mistaken, Feng Yang was your master."


    The Blood Moon Demon Monarch slowly ended his cultivation and said in a ghostly voice, "Back then, Feng Yang prepared Core Formation Spiritual Objects for you, and fell into a formation, shortening his life by decades; now he has indirectly perished by your hand. Do you truly have no thoughts about this?"


    Feeling a chill down his spine upon hearing this, Huo Yan knew that demonic cultivators were always lenient with themselves but harsh with others. He quickly changed his expression to one of deep sorrow as he spoke.


    "I was devastated, but the grand wish of my master before his passing was the prosperity and strength of the Earth Fire Pce. Now with the support of the Ghost King Sect, we are on the verge of unifying the Eastern Sea. My master must be smiling from the underworld!"


    "Have you prepared the object containing Tang Xuan''s aura?"


    A murderous intent shed in the eyes of the Blood Moon Demon Monarch. As soon as Huo Yan became the Sect Leader of the Earth Fire Pce, he would turn him into a puppet, so as not to have himself smiling from the underworld in the future.


    Huo Yan took out a meditation cushion from his storage bag, "This is the Dharma Lecture Hall''s meditation cushion, which I had someone steal after Tang Xuan finished lecturing."


    "Good."


    The Blood Moon Demon Monarch drew the cushion toward himself, cing it on the altar and casting the Dark Witch Curse.


    The Ghost Deity Statue absorbed the cushion and also epted the sacrifice of lifespan. The sinister curse flowed along the aura and flew towards the Hall of Spiritual Fire.


    ...


    The Hall of Spiritual Fire.


    The cultivation chamber.


    The sinister fluctuations prated through the Formation and Prohibition, attempting to enter Zhou Yi''s body, but the Xuanwu Divine Armor suddenly flew out from Zhou''s Dantian, transforming into a turtle shell that enveloped him.


    "Hm? Someone wants to harm me!"


    Zhou Yi immediately stopped cultivating the Pure Yang Scripture, his hands forming spells to activateyers of formations, his daoist robe shining with dozens, hundreds of talismanic runes.


    After confirming thrice that there was no danger, he suppressed the urge to flee as a ray of light. His Divine Sense swept around and detected traces of faint, almost imperceptible dark energy lingering outside the Divine Armor.


    "Is this witchcraft or some type of demonic technique? Someone''s casting a spell to harm this poor daoist!"


    Zhou Yi scattered a few bolts of the Lightning Method, easily obliterating ny percent of the dark energy, leaving only a few strands remaining.


    His palm wrapped in purple lightning, he tried to grasp the lingering ck gas, but it vanished as soon as he touched it.


    "Hmm! I''ve lost some of my lifespan... about ten years?"


    As the ck gas dissipated, Zhou Yi felt the Longevity Dao Fruit tremble slightly. Due to his usual consumption and replenishment, he was particrly sensitive to changes in lifespan.


    "This curse is quite peculiar; it can prate formations and prohibitions to reduce lifespan, yet its power... is too weak."


    With that said, Zhou Yi performed the Jade Dew Art, consuming five hundred years of lifespan to irrigate the Jian Wood.


    ...


    The Fire Bamboo Forest.


    The Ghost Deity Statue revealed a ferocious smile, its eight eyes radiating demonic light, its arms waving as if celebrating the devouring of the lifespan.


    "It worked!"


    Seeing this, the Blood Moon Demon Monarch sneered, "This fool boasts about his orthodox lineage, surely he must be an insignificant disciple within his sect, otherwise, he wouldn''t have fallen for the curse so easily."


    Huo Yan''s face showed joy, knowing he was another step closer to taking control of the Earth Fire Pce.


    "Senior, since the Ghost King Sect has such an amazing technique, why not use it to kill all orthodox Golden Elixir cultivators? Afterwards, hide in the Eastern Sea until all their Nascent Souls are depleted. The Ghost King Sect could not only return to the Nine Continents but alsopletely eradicate the orthodox cultivators!"


    "This curse technique dates back to ancient times, a legendary witchcraft from antiquity."


    The Blood Moon Demon Monarch said, "When it first appeared, it prospered for a long time and our Sect''s Ghost Cultivators rose with the tide, scaring the Orthodox True Monarchs into hiding. However, there''s no curse that can''t be broken, and now there are too many countermeasures avable. Hence, it''s only useful for bullying the less experienced cultivators of the Eastern Sea."


    Huo Yan suddenly understood, "No wonder, senior, each time you cast the spell, it only consumes a small amount of lifespan."


    The Blood Moon Demon Monarch nodded, "Once it bacshes, the Ghost Deity will extract an equal amount of life and lifespan from the person casting the spell. One must be careful and test the waters!"


    Huo Yan said, "Now that the spell has been sessfully cast, and Tang Xuan is powerless to counteract the curse, should we not quickly put an end to him?"


    "What allowed me to form my Core in the demon sects was prudence and caution—not to be impatient for quick results!"


    The Blood Moon Demon Monarch lifted his head to look in the direction of the Earth Fire Pce, speaking in a cold voice.


    "What if Tang Xuan intentionally sumbed to the curse but has actually prepared a countermeasure, just waiting for me to take the bait? Or, what if Tang Xuan doesn''t have much lifespan left and I waste a hundred years in one go? That would be a needless loss."