Chapter 425: Lost Out? Or Gained?

The sacred decree of the Holy Land, brimming with supreme majesty, exploded like thunder from the nine heavens within the divine souls of every Secret Realm Master, leaving them all stunned and gaping.

Previously, when Hua Changxi proposed that the Secret Realm Masters swear an oath against heart demons, most had dismissed it; they assumed Hua Changxi would swear her own oath while they swore theirs, with no connection between them.

Who could have expected that Hua Changxi's oath would become an irreversible decree of the Holy Land, binding them all to unconditional compliance!

This mandatory edict, allowing no room for maneuver, shackled the hands and feet of every Secret Realm Master like cold, heavy iron chains.

Some Secret Realm Masters clenched their fists until their knuckles turned white; others turned their heads away, eyes churning with reluctance; yet more felt their throats tighten, their very breath becoming stifled.

The joy they once felt upon acquiring their secret realms was now matched only by the anguish of being restricted by the Holy Land's decree.

"I refuse to accept this!"

Wu Lingyue, who governed a fourth-grade secret realm, was the first to lose his temper; he rose to his feet and glared furiously at Hua Changxi: "Hua Changxi, on what grounds does your oath bind all of us Secret Realm Masters?"

Hua Changxi's oath imposed strict limitations on the Secret Realm Masters; if truly enforced, the scope of their actions would shrink drastically.

Moreover, violating the decree would not only result in the revocation of their authority over their secret realms but also force them to bear corresponding karmic retribution.

Cultivators fear karmic entanglement above all else; why was Hua Changxi seeking her own death and dragging them down into the abyss with her?

After the branch of the Divine Wood vanished, Hua Changxi's entire attention focused on her lost merit power; even gaining an eighth-grade secret realm and a Holy Pill containing five hundred Saint-Protecting Tokens failed to bring her much joy.

Her heart was filled with pent-up rage seeking an outlet, and Wu Lingyue's furious questioning instantly ignited her murderous intent.

Hua Changxi snapped her gaze toward him, her eyes sharp as lightning piercing Wu Lingyue: "Did I issue the Holy Land's decree? Did I seek to restrict you?"

"If someone is restricting you, go find them!"

Her voice trembled slightly with anger, the accumulated frustration finally finding release: "If it weren't for you lot of scheming, self-serving scoundrels limiting the development of Danyuan Peak, do you think I would want to manage this mess?"

Wu Lingyue sneered: "Do you think anyone cares whether you manage it or not? It would be better if you didn't."

Hua Changxi was furious: "When I previously suggested that the Secret Realm Masters take charge of the Holy Land, why didn't you stand up and refuse? Had you lost your tongue?"

"People like you only want to reap benefits without paying the price; you claim to be from a Dao-Protecting Family, yet you have completely shattered my understanding of what such families represent."

"I truly cannot imagine that if all members of the Dao-Protecting Families were like you, could the orthodox traditions of the Four Spirit Realms even continue to be passed down?"

These words, striking straight at the heart, made Wu Lingyue seethe with rage until smoke nearly poured from his seven orifices, yet they exploded like thunder within Gu Jinfan's heart, causing the painful memories of her past life—when external cultivators invaded en masse and turned hosts into guests—to surge forth once more.

The members of the other four Dao-Protecting Families could no longer sit idle.

Bai Zhixin frowned as she looked at Hua Changxi: "Peak Master Hua, do not go too far; the Dao-Protecting Families are not something you can slander."

Because of the Xia family, Hua Changxi indeed held a poor impression of the Dao-Protecting Families; however, after previously questioning Wei Zhenjie about why the Demon-Suppressing Army and the Xuanyuan Army had not supported the Zhu Que Army, she realized that many things beyond her knowledge were occurring in places she could not see, so she did not wish to completely deny the Dao-Protecting Families and thus did not respond to this remark.

Just then, the fury in her chest subsided slightly; she swept her gaze across the Secret Realm Masters and spoke with a solemn tone: "To seek only profit while refusing to shoulder responsibility—does such a good thing exist in this world?"

"Using the resources of the secret realms for disciple cultivation, pill refinement, and the construction of the Holy Land is only right and proper; the Holy Land's decree has already been issued, and I am powerless to change it."

Saying this, Hua Changxi looked at Wu Lingyue again: "You must understand one thing clearly: it is not my oath restricting you, but the decree of the Holy Land."

Wu Lingyue laughed in extreme anger: "Decree of the Holy Land? I say it is the Decree of Hua Changxi!"

He pointed at Hua Changxi, his fingertip trembling: "It is one thing for you to demand we bind ourselves with a 'public heart,' but why did you have to introduce karmic retribution? Do you not know that cultivators greatly dread this?"

Hua Changxi spread her hands helplessly: "That oath was meant to restrict myself, not you; as for this outcome, I can only say... it is the will of heaven."

"The will of heaven?" Wu Lingyue laughed as if he had heard the greatest joke imaginable: "If you wish to play the sage, we cannot stop you, but you should not have dragged us along; we are not so great as to act without any selfish intent."

"You may disregard all kinship, but we cannot; we have families, beloved friends, and comrades, and amidst this torrent of great trends, we must support one another."

The more Wu Lingyue spoke, the more reasonable he sounded, and the angrier he became: "Let me tell you, Hua Changxi, whatever Holy Land decree you have concocted, I, Wu Lingyue, will absolutely not obey it!"

As soon as these words left his mouth, before Hua Changxi could even react, green light once again manifested within the assembly hall.

"Crack~"

The branch of the Divine Wood suddenly appeared, like a green whip carrying irresistible power, and struck Wu Lingyue fiercely!

Under the horrified, deathly silent gaze of everyone present, a secret realm leaf shimmering with faint light was forcibly torn from Wu Lingyue's body, then swept up by the Divine Wood branch and vanished into the void in an instant.

After a brief moment of silence, the assembly hall instantly erupted into an uncontrollable uproar.

The Divine Wood had actually revoked the secret realm governed by Wu Lingyue!

At this, Wu Lingyue was dumbfounded, and all the Secret Realm Masters were stunned.

Before everyone could fully recover from the shock of the Divine Wood reclaiming the secret realm, a clamor of human voices suddenly erupted outside the assembly hall, growing louder by the second, interspersed with a dull, rumbling sound, while the ground transmitted a slight yet distinct pulsation, as if a slumbering beast were awakening.

"What is happening?" A thought flickered in Hua Changxi's mind, and she quickly strode out of the hall.

The moment she stepped outside, she froze in astonishment.

The colors of the sky were becoming clearer and more transparent at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the dense mist that had once shrouded certain distant regions was being pushed aside and dispersed by an invisible force.

The invisible barrier once regarded as the boundary of the Holy Land seemed to be gently stretched and expanded by an unseen giant hand!

Dense heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, as if summoned, surged forth violently from the void.

The familiar territory of the Pill Saint Hall was expanding outward in a manner surpassing all comprehension!

Under the scouring of spiritual energy, the mountains and terrain were being reshaped; flat lands extended outward, while brand-new peaks piercing the clouds emerged like hidden dragons leaving the water, revealing vague yet majestic outlines amidst thick mists flowing with mysterious qi and layers of protective barriers.

"The Holy Land is growing larger!"

This was not the first time everyone had witnessed the Pill Saint Hall expand, yet even so, its grandeur still shook their hearts and minds.

What left everyone utterly dumbfounded, however, were the strange phenomena that had abruptly appeared on both sides of the square before the Pill Cauldron Altar!

"Hiss—"

"Rush-rush—"

Two brilliant, colossal waterfalls plummeted suddenly from the high skies on either side of the square without any warning.

The flowing water was not ordinary water but contained spiritual energy of utmost purity, emitting a warm, pale green luster, resembling two flowing jade ribbons descending from the nine heavens.

The source of the waterfalls seemed connected to a higher, more distant void; as the waters churned, countless tiny green specks of light scattered like starry rain, creating a scene of extraordinary beauty.

These suspended spiritual spring waterfalls plunged straight down to the feet of the various peaks, winding into rivers that flowed between the mountains.

Wherever the water passed, withered trees revived, tender shoots pushing through the frozen soil at a speed visible to the naked eye; ordinary medicinal herbs instantly became lush and verdant, each plant plump and full; the air filled with a rich, heart-penetrating fragrance that refreshed the spirit and cleared the mind.

Even more astonishing was the complete transformation of the area originally connecting the square before the Pill Cauldron Altar and Nine Streets—a magnificent staircase carved from white jade, stretching for nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, rose from the ground, separating the square from the streets.

Below the staircase, an entirely new square of vast circumference had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

At the edge of the square, the residual flow of the hanging spring waterfall was diverted into a circular canal; clear springs murmured around the perimeter before finally converging into the "Spirit-Gathering Pools" at the four corners of the square.

The main hall where Hua Changxi and the others were holding council was located precisely on Ninth Street.

At this moment, they could only crane their necks to gaze up at the towering jade steps that pierced the clouds, wreathed in dense spiritual mist, while the Alchemy Cauldron Altar Square had long vanished beyond their field of vision.

Surrounding gasps and discussions merged into a tidal wave, each surge rising higher than the last.

Hua Changxi gazed fixedly at the suspended flying waterfall, feeling the surging, ceaseless vitality flowing within her expanded domain, and looked out toward the faintly visible outlines of mountain peaks emerging from the distant clouds and mist...

She opened her mouth; beyond the shock, however, she felt little surprise in her heart.

Back then, after the Star-Gazing Tower had absorbed her merit power, it too had undergone a massive renewal.

The Divine Tree had drawn away her merit power, and then... upgraded the entire sacred ground!

What did this amount to?

Sacrificing her alone to bless thousands upon thousands?

Meeting the interwoven gazes of awe, fervor, and indefinable complexity from the crowd around her, then taking one more look at the scene of the newborn sacred land with its rushing waterfall and abundant spiritual qi, Hua Changxi suddenly felt a touch of absurdity rise in her heart—she seemed to have lost out, yet somehow... gained?

This feeling was truly... hard to put into words!