Chapter 497: Division of Factions, the Dao of Taiji

When Lin Xuan, carrying the semi-conscious Muerxiu on his back, returned to the Balance Sect headquarters with Xiao Yuan, Xuanjizi and Xu Feng had already been waiting at the entrance for some time.

"You really succeeded!" Seeing the three-colored halo circling Lin Xuan's body, Xuanjizi's eyes were full of surprise and awe.

Lin Xuan nodded slightly, the three-colored light circulating within his body, at times resonating harmoniously and at others repelling each other, forcing him to divert a portion of his focus to constantly harmonize them. "The Light of Lun Hui has merged with me, but the balance of the Taiji Three Origin Power is extremely fragile."

He set Muerxiu down, only to see that this once overbearing leader of the Awakening Sect now had a twisted expression, with purple-black energy and silver Light of Lun Hui tearing at each other within his body, occasionally seeping out from his pores to form eerie light patterns.

"Place him in the Quiet Room; I need to purify the chaotic energy within him," Lin Xuan said in a low voice, his brows tightly locked. "The Light of Lun Hui within him has been severely polluted by the Void. If not treated in time, I fear it will cause permanent damage to his soul."

After Muerxiu was settled, Lin Xuan gathered with the others in the council hall. He briefly recounted everything that had happened on the Path of Lun Hui, as well as the shattering of the Snow Soul Mirror and the appearance of Xueyu Xianren.

"Senior Xue Wuhen had long foreseen this," Lin Xuan remarked with emotion. "He hid a wisp of his primordial spirit within the Snow Soul Mirror specifically to help me obtain the Light of Lun Hui at the critical moment."

Xuanjizi's expression was grave: "The Taiji Three Origin Power has yet to stabilize within you; you need to go into seclusion as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable. It was because his power was unstable that Taijizi failed his fusion back then."

Just as Lin Xuan was about to respond, his expression suddenly changed; the three forces within his body fluctuated violently, and ice-blue, fiery-red, and silver-white lights flickered across his body. He hurriedly sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing, and it took quite a while before he could barely calm the energy.

"It is even trickier than I imagined," Lin Xuan said with a wry smile. "The state of the Three Origins coexisting is extremely unstable; it requires me to maintain a peaceful state of mind at all times to keep the balance."

Xiao Yuan suddenly took the Fate Compass from her bosom; after the needle spun wildly, it pointed to the southwest: "I sense something. The threads of fate are guiding us to Wangyou Valley, a thousand miles to the southwest; there seems to be something there that will help stabilize the power within you."

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and a disciple rushed in to report: "Master, Lord Muerxiu has started talking nonsense!"

The group immediately rushed to the Quiet Room, only to see that although Muerxiu was still unconscious, he was muttering incessantly: "The Void... is coming... all things return to silence... a new... order..."

What was even more shocking was that his voice was occasionally interspersed with another eerie, deep tone, as if another consciousness were speaking through his body.

"Terrible," Lin Xuan said with a grave expression. "His spirit is being eroded by the Void Will. We must head to Wangyou Valley as soon as possible; there is likely a cave dwelling and cultivation mental art left behind by Taijizi there."

Xuanjizi nodded in agreement: "You go with Xiao Yuan and Xu Feng; I will stay here to look after Muerxiu and prevent the Awakening Sect from coming to cause trouble."

Just as Lin Xuan was preparing to arrange the departure, a commotion suddenly came from outside. A disciple rushed into the hall in a panic: "It's bad! Hundreds of Awakening Sect cultivators have surrounded our mountain gate, demanding that we hand over Lord Muerxiu!"

Lin Xuan and Xuanjizi exchanged a glance and walked quickly out of the hall. Sure enough, outside the mountain gate in the distance, hundreds of Awakening Sect cultivators stood in a dense mass, dressed in purple robes. However, to their surprise, they were divided into two sides, and their confrontational stance clearly showed that internal divisions had already emerged.

Leading the camp on the left was a burly middle-aged man with the character "Li" embroidered on his purple robe; he was the Fire Element Elder of the Awakening Sect. The leader of the camp on the right was a gaunt, sinister-looking old man, Helian Chen, Muerxiu's deputy, known as the "Shadow Elder."

"Interesting," Xu Feng said in a low voice. "The Awakening Sect seems to have split internally."

Lin Xuan signaled for everyone to remain calm, stepped forward a few paces, and said loudly: "Why have the two Elders brought everyone here?"

The Fire Element Elder stepped forward: "Hand over our Sect Leader Muerxiu, or we will force our way into your sect!"

Helian Chen sneered: "Lin Xuan, don't listen to him. Muerxiu has gone mad; his plan to awaken the Void Sovereign will lead to the destruction of the entire Cultivation World."

"Nonsense!" the Fire Element Elder said in a great rage. "Once the Void Sovereign awakens, it will bring a new order to the world and purify this corrupt Cultivation World!"

Helian Chen turned to Lin Xuan: "We discovered a terrifying truth in ancient texts—the awakening of the Void Sovereign is not some new birth, but total destruction. I have already persuaded some of our members to abandon this path of no return."

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment and made a decision: "Please listen to me, both of you. Muerxiu is indeed with us, but the power within him is extremely unstable; moving him rashly could endanger his own safety. More importantly, the Cultivation World is in a delicate balance, and any radical action by either side could trigger a disaster."

He looked around at everyone, his tone firm: "I propose we handle it this way: I am about to head to Wangyou Valley to find a way to stabilize the Taiji Three Origin Power and study how to purify the chaotic energy within Muerxiu. During this period, Xiao Yuan, Xuanjizi, and Elder Helian Chen will jointly maintain the temporary balance of the Cultivation World to prevent any faction from taking advantage of the situation."

Helian Chen thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "A reasonable proposal. I am willing to represent the reformist faction of the Awakening Sect in this temporary alliance."

The Fire Element Elder hesitated, but finally gritted his teeth and said: "I can accept this arrangement for now, but on one condition—I must send someone to monitor Muerxiu's condition at all times to ensure his safety."

Lin Xuan nodded: "That is acceptable, but the person you send must abide by the rules of the Balance Sect and may not act without authorization."

Thus, a peculiar three-party alliance was temporarily formed. That evening, before preparing to depart, Lin Xuan went to Muerxiu's Quiet Room. Looking at this once-formidable enemy, now like an ordinary person tormented by nightmares, he could not help but feel a trace of pity.

"I will find a way to help you," Lin Xuan said softly. "Regardless of past or present, my choice remains the same—to guard the balance and prevent disaster. This time, I will not let history repeat itself."

After three days of travel, Lin Xuan finally arrived at Wangyou Valley with the still-unconscious Muerxiu. The valley was shrouded in mist and filled with immortal energy; deep inside, a stone gate could be vaguely seen, ancient and weathered, with a blurred Taiji Pattern carved upon it.

Lin Xuan gently placed Muerxiu on a flat stone platform and carefully observed the stone gate. He could feel a familiar and intimate energy fluctuation emanating from the stone gate, as if it were calling out to his bloodline.

"This really is the cave dwelling left behind by Taijizi," Lin Xuan muttered to himself, complex light flickering in his eyes.