Chapter 156

He Pingsheng had no chance to speak.

He had barely finished half his sentence when he was forced to stop.

Seeing the anger on their faces, for some reason, He Pingsheng suddenly felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

After arguing for a while, they fell silent.

Xuanyang turned to He Pingsheng and asked, "Let's set this aside for now, little brother—do you have anything else?"

He Pingsheng nodded: "Yes!"

Wuwei blew up in rage: "You had this and didn't say anything sooner?!"

He Pingsheng ignored him, raised the sign again, and said, "Master said all eight-tenths of the resources taken from you are to be redirected to the low-rank disciples!"

"Starting today, Grand Void Gate will open its doors—screening outstanding outer disciples for admission!"

"Each peak must absorb a large number of disciples!"

Wuwei erupted again: "What nonsense is this? Opening the sect to those lowly outsiders—where's the purity of cultivation left?!"

"No, I can't agree… wait—"

As he spoke, Wuwei fixed his gaze on He Pingsheng: "Little brother, are you lying about the Master's orders?"

He Pingsheng gave a bitter smile: "Big brother, do you really think I'd dare?"

Wuwei said: "That's hard to say—I'll go ask the old man myself!"

In a flash, Wuwei turned into a streak of light and shot toward Jade Dragon Peak.

The other Golden Core cultivators each departed, leaving He Pingsheng alone in the Internal Affairs Hall.

He Pingsheng had no choice but to summon his flying sword and ride it to Jade Dragon Peak.

Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, his sword-riding speed had increased several-fold.

By the time He Pingsheng arrived at the Grand Void Divine Hall, the argument inside was already out of control.

Grand Void Ancestor sat like a pitiful old man, alone in the vast golden armchair, hands clamped over his ears, deaf to his disciples' shouting.

After a while, perhaps the disciples grew tired.

Grand Void finally removed his hands from his ears and said, "Are you all worn out? May I speak now?"

Wuwei said: "Speak!"

Grand Void said: "He Boy, strike the bell… summon every Foundation Establishment and higher disciple of Grand Void Gate!"

"Yes!"

He Pingsheng bowed, then stepped outside the Grand Void Divine Hall.

Outside stood a great bell.

The bell bore engraved arrays—once struck, its sound would carry across every peak of Grand Void Gate.

The number of strikes carried different meanings.

Five strikes summoned only Golden Core disciples.

Seven strikes summoned Golden Core and Foundation Establishment disciples!

Nine strikes summoned all inner disciples—Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Refining!

This time, it was seven strikes.

After seven strikes, every Foundation Establishment disciple on Grand Void Gate's ten peaks surged through the sky like a swarm of locusts, arriving one by one on flying swords.

They landed instantly on the plaza.

He Pingsheng scanned the crowd.

He saw Master Yuxuan, and his own Master, Yuning.

He saw Tian Xiaoqing, Xu Kunlun, and Zhao Linger.

Over a hundred Foundation Establishment disciples in total.

"Salute, Senior Brother…" One by one, they bowed to He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng felt absurdly embarrassed—he saw his own Master, Yuning, bowing too.

This…

So awkward.

"Come inside!" He Pingsheng said to them all. "The Supreme Elder asks you all to enter the Divine Hall—he has important matters to discuss!"

The crowd surged into the Grand Void Divine Hall.

Over ninety percent of them had never set foot inside the Divine Hall before.

"What's going on?" Yuning, Xu Kunlun, and Zhao Linger asked nervously as they passed He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng said: "The Ancestor has important announcements—don't worry, just reforms to sect regulations."

"Oh!"

They nodded, exhaling in relief.

They'd thought an external enemy had attacked!

The crowd sat down in a rush on the black floor of the Grand Void Divine Hall.

The five Golden Core elders, no longer loud or boisterous, now sat with solemn respect.

There was no choice—outsiders were present; they had to pretend harmony.

"No need to bow—I have only two things to say!"

Grand Void Ancestor looked calmly at them all: "First, from today, all ten peaks will open to outer disciples—any outer disciple who successfully channels spiritual energy into their body and reaches Qi Refining Level One may join the sect!"

"Each Foundation Establishment disciple may take up to fifty direct disciples!"

"But no fewer than twenty!"

"Every inner disciple—even those at Qi Refining—will receive ten spirit stones as cultivation resources!"

"Also, the sect's Treasure Hall is now open—every disciple may enter freely to copy one scripture and two techniques!"

At these words, the entire Grand Void Hall erupted in uproar.

The five Golden Core elders, however, turned ashen-faced.

The old man had made his decision final—resources once theirs would now flow downward to the disciples. How could they not be furious?

Grand Void Ancestor swept his sleeve and continued: "The ten peaks of Grand Void Gate are too barren—there's no life here!"

"Let them all come in!"

"Each Foundation Establishment disciple may freely build a palace on any peak—no approval needed!"

"That's the first matter!" Grand Void Ancestor raised two fingers: "Second, investigate any inner disciple who abuses power. If found, report them to the Enforcement Hall—serious cases will be executed immediately, regardless of identity or connections!"

"Hong Er, did you hear that?"

Elder Hong bowed respectfully: "Yes… Master!"

"Enough!" Grand Void Ancestor said. "That's all I have to say… you may leave now. Go down the mountain to take disciples, go up the peaks to build your halls!"

With that, he waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing them away.

The Foundation Establishment disciples filed out in a rush.

The vast Grand Void Hall was left with only the master and his few disciples.

Grand Void Ancestor glanced at his disciples: "For years, you've hoarded every scrap of sect resources—I turned a blind eye."

"And what did it bring?"

"You locked all cultivation resources in your own hands—none flowed downward!"

"Now Grand Void Gate has no successors!"

"To expect you to revive Grand Void Gate? That's a joke!"

Grand Void Ancestor rose from his seat. In an instant, a vast, crushing aura flooded the entire hall.

Even Wuwei and Elder Hong trembled under its weight.

The old man, who hadn't used his power in centuries, whom all had assumed weak and easy to bully, revealed his terrifying side—his gaze swept slowly over them like blades, his voice no longer hoarse: "You've eaten your fill for too long."

"If any of you dare to embezzle again, you're severing the roots of Grand Void Gate!"

"You cut my roots—I won't be gentle with you."

"Even my own son—I'll crush him with one palm."