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When Lu Xun first came to Tianque Gate, he found the sect a bit strange.

There were many dwarfish figures among the elites and the higher-ups of the sect… So many that it seemed abnormal.

Could it be that Tianque Gate preferred selecting disciples of a Wu Dalang type when recruiting?

But that seemed unreasonable, normal tastes should not be so peculiar.

Maybe just like all the disciples of Boundless Mountain have a poker face, the presence of many dwarfs in Tianque Gate might suggest a problem with their cultivation technique?

Lu Xun was half right in the beginning, it did have something to do with the cultivation technique of Tianque Gate, but it was not due to the cultivation method causing dwarfism.

The main reason was that within Tianque Gate, there was a venerable elder in seclusion facing imminent death!

The third-generation sect leader, a peak sixth realm cultivator, Tianhe Shangren!

Tianhe Shangren’s life was about to end years ago, but was unable to break through to the seventh realm.

If only he could reach the seventh realm, he could extend his life and further elevate Tianque Gate.

Before his impending death, Tianhe Shangren began to seclude himself, using a secret technique he obtained from a relic.

But his seclusion was different from Yan Li’s. Yan Li secluded himself because of cultivation issues, fallen into madness.

On the other hand, Tianhe Shangren forcibly held onto his last breath.

The cultivation method of Tianque Gate originated from the Ancient Witch Clan, allowing anyone to imbue their bloodline with bloodline power.

Although they all have no common ties in bloodline, the power within their bloodlines were all interconnected.

By forcibly maintaining his breath, Tianhe Shangren needed a disciple, under ten years old with good talent, to supply him with bloodline power each year.

It’s a bit like … supplementing a vegetative person with nutrition.

This kind of supply wouldn’t affect the child’s lifespan or such, it would just cause them to become weak for a period of time, and then the child wouldn’t grow tall.

This was a secret of Tianque Gate, only known to the sect leader and elders. The children who supplied their bloodline power to the elder in their childhood were also regarded as potential elites for the next generation.

Thus, those short elders in Tianque Gate were all once donors.

This wasn’t just about “buying some time for the elder”. This action has spanned across several generations.

Once the bloodline power had accumulated enough, Tianhe Shangren would attempt to break into the seventh realm.

What Mo Beipo was doing now was incinerating his blood, providing it to the elder, in exchange for a brief reappearance of the elder!

The sacrifice was simple: Mo Beipo’s life.

A once beggarly boy, only a fifth realm cultivator, using his life to trade for the life of a sixth realm powerhouse, along with the favor of the young elder of the Demon Sect… This was Mo Beipo’s great gamble!

Liu Ying was no fool, he naturally noticed the change in Mo Beipo.

He became alert and swung his huge blade forward.

How could the surrounding elders not understand the purpose of their sect leader? Despite their grief, they still did their best to shield Mo Beipo.

“Hu” A gentle breeze swept past the mountaintop.

The lance in Mo Beipo’s hand suddenly stood up.

It was held in the hand of an elder.

With the spear drawn forth like a dragon, the dragon carving on the spear’s body seemed to come alive.

A dragon roar echoed from the mountaintop, shaking Liu Ying back a few steps.

“Elder!” Everyone shouted in unison.

The old man was wearing clothes similar to Mo Beipo’s. He lightly patted Mo Beipo on the shoulder, instantly resolving the burning of his blood.

Mo Beipo, looking disheveled and sprawled on the ground, coughed up blood and roared, “Elder, if you stop my method, you will… you will… cough, cough, cough!”

The old man was none other than Tianhe Shangren. His face was a pale white but not a healthy version of white.

Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, his body slowly started to change.

His energy, spirit, and complexion were improving, giving him a rosy glow, like a dying man’s final rallying.

He lightly shook his hand, signaling Mo Beipo to say no more.

Around Tianhe Shangren, there was the ringing sound of a copper bell.

He put his hand into his robe, pulling out a copper bell identical to the one Mo Beipo had.

There were actually two of these copper bells!

Thus, as soon as Liu Ying revealed his murderous intent upon coming up the mountain, Tianhe Shangren was already aware.

Tianhe Shangren, with his spear in hand, took a few steps forward, shielding all the people of Tianque Gate behind him.

The night breeze swept over, causing his white hair to dance in the wind.

“On the verge of peaking.” He looked at Liu Ying and gave an assessment.

An imminent sixth peak realm powerhouse indeed is an existence that Mo Beipo and others can hardly resist.

But it wasn’t the same for him.

The same spear, held in Mo Beipo’s hand or his hand, there was a world of difference.

This spear is called “Lone Bravery”. When you use it, you should strike with all your might and always move forward, never retreat!

Every thrust of the spear generates a reverberating dragon’s roar, like a flood dragon being born!

Upon the clash between Liu Ying’s huge blade and the elder’s spear, the elder continues advancing, forcing Liu Ying to retreat incessantly.

The spear thrusts from above, with a spear tip shining like a beam of darkness.

Liu Ying lifts his huge blade to defend, but his knees give way under the burden. He falls heavily to the ground, creating a massive pit!

One is a burly man, the other a skinny old man.

However, the latter persistently pushes forward, his spear now bringing the strong man to his knees!

“Half a step to the peak is, after all, just half a step.”

The elder swipes his spear, propelling Liu Ying many yards away. A purple layer of armor appears around him, but it’s instantly shattered by the elder’s spear.

Tianhe Shangren isn’t holding anything back, because he knows he doesn’t have much time left.

He didn’t accept Mo Beipo’s power of bloodline burning. Now, he’s nothing but a flicker of life before the gates of death.

Speaking honestly, as the ancestor of Tianque Gate and the third Sect Leader, he has accepted the bloodline supply for many years with a clear conscience.

Becasue he is the elder of the sect, his disciples could enter the path of cultivation. To a greater or lesser degree, they all owe him a debt of gratitude.

There’s a saying among the common folk that goes, “Eat the rice the ancestor master rewards you”. That sentiment is quite similar to this.

But having been sustained this long by the offerings, he should naturally break the siege at this time.

If the sky collapses, it’s up to him, the tallest man, to hold it up.

This short fellow wanted to hold it up first, but Tianhe Shangren didn’t agree.

Having been in seclusion for so long, Tianhe Shangren has long understood that he has lost hope of breaking through this lifetime.

Such cowardice only allows him to keep living.

Between life and death, there is a great fear.

Even if you know there’s no hope, fear of death prevails.

This fear of death has haunted him for many years.

However when the copper bell in his arms rings, the past comes rushing back.

He grew up in this sect, practiced here, inherited the position of Sect Leader here, and it was here that he vowed to protect Tianque Gate with his life, and restore the glory of Tianque Gate to the time when Tianque Shangren was around!

Although he was in retreat, he would wake up for a moment every year when he received the bloodline supply.

He would then get updates on what had happened in the sect over the years, and how Tianque Gate had developed.

He watched generation after generation of Sect Leaders kneel before him, bow to him, and apologize for their failure to honor their ancestors.

Tianque Gate continued to decline. Every time a new Sect Leader took office, they almost always shouldered the legacy of several previous generations.

The burden got heavier and heavier, almost suffocating.

Yet that’s the reality of preserving a sect, whether it’s a prominent faction or a small sect.

This is duty, and this is inheritance.

When Tianhe Shangren first joined the sect, as he showcased his cultivation talents, he felt the fervent hopes in his master’s eyes.

He is the third Sect Leader of Tianque Gate. He knows well how much pressure his master had to bear as the second Sect Leader when Tianque Shangren passed away.

But the continuation of a sect requires the effort and protection of one generation after another.

Sometimes, a sect can feel like a small country.

A few months ago, when Tianhe Shangren received the bloodline supply, he learned that Tianque Gate had allied with the Demon Sect.

From the moment the copper bell sounded, he was aware of the cause and effect. As a pinnacle sixth realm expert, everything in the sect lay unveiled under his Divine Sense.

Therefore, it wasn’t just Mo Beipo who had to make a decision; Tianhe Shangren had to do the same.

Tianque Gate now faced a battle that would decide the fate of the sect.

And the cost was simple: either a dying elder who had lost all hope of breaking through would die, or the current Sect Leader would.

Mo Beipo made his choice, and so did Tianhe Shangren.

He laughed uproariously, seeming to say to the younger generations, “I’m tired of being in seclusion for so long!”

“Today, I’ll fight to my heart’s content!”

This old man had lived his entire life in fear of death, clinging to life for several hundred years.

Now he just wanted a good fight!

The spear “Lone Bravery” seemed to tear through the entire night sky. As the spear lunged forward like a dragon, a powerful and flamboyant dragon roar echoed from Tianque Gate, resounding throughout the entire Three Thousand Mountain Area!

The sleeping dragon had awakened.

One cry shook a thousand mountains.

“In one’s life, when it’s time to die, die!!!”

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