The righteous path punishes Heaven

Chapter 65 Retire after success

Duan Suchen looked desperate; he was now helpless, like a lamb to the slaughter.

The image that had just vanished remained in everyone's mind—the ruthless massacre that revealed Duan Suchen's dark side of harming living beings for his own selfish desires.

Duan Rong loosened his grip, throwing Duan Suchen down from mid-air. Duan Suchen landed on the ground in a disheveled state, like a dead dog.

"Is this how you became the sect leader?"

Duan Rong stood in the air, his face extremely gloomy. Seeing this, all the elders dared not utter a sound and knelt down on one knee, bowing their heads.

The other disciples were also shocked and followed suit in bowing down, but Zhang Yunling stood straight in the square, watching everything with a smile on his face.

Duan Rong landed slowly and came to Zhang Yunling's side. He laughed heartily, "Boy, with your help this time, it is truly the greatest opportunity I have ever received in my life."

"Ancestor, why be so polite? It's not just Duan Suchen; there's another person who also needs your help to eliminate."

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhang Yunling spoke, pointing in the direction of Zhongnan Mountain.

"There is a person recuperating and healing in the courtyard behind the mountain. She is the woman who appeared in the previous scene and taught Duan Suchen the Northern Darkness Demon Art."

Duan Rong nodded slightly, turned around and called out to Ren Tianxiong, "Tianxiong, now that you have reached the Nascent Soul stage, you can handle that girl."

Ren Tianxiong responded respectfully, took a step and flew up, transforming into a long rainbow and heading towards the back of Zhongnan Mountain.

Duan Weihuang stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed repeatedly, exclaiming excitedly, "Sect Master! You've finally returned!"

Duan Rong bent down to help him up, patted the dust off Duan Weihuang's tattered robe, and smiled with relief: "Old Huang, you've aged a lot since we last met."

Upon hearing this, Duan Weihuang became even more agitated, his eyes brimming with tears: "If I had known that the Sect Master had returned in triumph today, even if I were just a remnant soul, I would have flown back to see you!"

Duan Rong laughed heartily, patted Duan Weihuang on the shoulder, and was about to continue their reminiscing when he suddenly slapped his forehead, turned to Zhang Yunling, and asked:

"Hey kid, don't you have a magical artifact that can completely heal any injuries? Why don't you use it to treat your master?"

Zhang Yunling nodded. Although he was worried that Duan Rong had cultivated for a thousand years and was very knowledgeable, and might try to snatch it when he revealed the Jade Purification Bottle, a celestial artifact, the current situation did not allow him to hesitate.

With a slap of his left hand, the jade bottle flew out and landed in Zhang Yunling's hand. He pulled out a Bodhi branch from the bottle and flicked it at Duan Weihuang. A few drops of dew on the branch landed on Duan Weihuang and took effect instantly.

Like Duan Rong, Duan Weihuang's aged body, which had suffered greatly from being poisoned and tortured years ago, began to recover at a speed visible to the naked eye in that instant.

His once frail figure, comparable to that of the Ming Shan tree, began to straighten, and his wrinkled face began to regain a more youthful appearance.

In just a few breaths, Duan Weihuang transformed from a sixty-year-old man into a robust middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. His revitalized body even tore apart the upper part of his cloth robe, revealing a perfectly muscular physique.

"This... is truly an extraordinary feat!" Duan Weihuang raised his arms in disbelief, looked at his strong arms that had been restored to their original state, and laughed loudly.

Zhang Yunling quickly put away the jade bottle and glanced at Duan Rong out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that the other party was just happily hugging Duan Weihuang and laughing together, Zhang Yunling also breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his vigilance towards this old monster in the Nascent Soul Realm.

All the disciples witnessed this, yet none dared to stand up. They all knelt nervously on the ground, awaiting the next move from this resurrected ancestor.

The other elders stepped forward and bowed respectfully. Duan Rong greeted them with smiles as they approached. He cared little for fame or fortune, having been reunited with his old friends.

Looking at the young man before him, Duan Rong was filled with emotion. After a long period of contemplation, he slowly said, "Young man, you are also a rare and talented young man. The Quanzhen Sect is currently lacking a promising young successor. Why don't you replace Duan Suchen and become the new sect leader? If you encounter any difficulties, I will always be there to help you. What do you think?"

Zhang Yunling smiled slightly and shook her head.

“Ancestor, now that you have returned to your peak, why bother looking for another candidate? You can directly take over the position of sect leader, quell the chaos, and lead the sect to new glory. This disciple is still inexperienced and weak in cultivation, and is truly unworthy of such a great responsibility.”

Duan Rong laughed heartily, stepped forward and hugged Zhang Yunling tightly. His imposing figure contained the old sect leader's sincere heart. He was not testing Zhang Yunling with the position of sect leader, but simply did not know how to repay this kindness.

Zhang Yunling glanced at the Third Elder, Ming Shan, who also looked at him with satisfaction. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke to Duan Rong, "Ancestor, I cannot devote myself to cultivation from now on. I still bear a karmic entanglement that is difficult to unravel, and I need to explore the results in the future."

"I am also very reluctant to leave the sect and everyone, but now that everything has been properly accomplished, I must go and explore further."

Duan Rong nodded, not paying any attention to these matters, and instructed the Third Elder, Ming Shan, to prepare some magical treasures and travel expenses in the Quanzhen Sect's treasure pavilion as capital for Zhang Yunling's future long journeys.

Everyone dispersed, and the Elders' Pavilion was renovated to completely erase all traces of Duan Suchen. Duan Rong once again ascended to the position of Sect Master of Quanzhen Dao.

Three days later, at the summit of Zhongnan Mountain, Duan Rong held three sticks of incense and offered a devout prayer to the patriarchs of his sect.

This is a cemetery established by the Quanzhen School since its founding, specifically for the burial of the school's successive leaders.

The blue pavilion enveloped the tombstones, and the locust leaves outside the pavilion drifted in the wind, falling beside each tombstone. Duan Rong swept them away one by one, silently guarding these ancestors who had brought glory to the sect.

Duan Rong slowly walked to the innermost stone sculpture, where the largest tombstone stood, with a row of large characters carved on it:

The tomb of Wang Chongyang, the first patriarch of the Quanzhen School of Taoism.

He placed three incense sticks in the golden incense burner in front of the monument, bowed deeply with a devout heart, and kept his head on the ground for a full half hour without lifting it.

Perhaps in that half hour, he repented for all the mistakes he had made during his more than 100 years in power, and prayed that the Quanzhen School could be reborn and reach new heights in the future.

......

Inner Gate, Elders' Pavilion.

Duan Rong recently overhauled the sect's leadership, and the elders present are all righteous individuals who have contributed to the sect's development.

"Wh...what? The person is missing?!"

Zhang Yunling suddenly stood up from the table, staring at Ren Tianxiong in shock. "I once injured her vital essence with my magic, how could she recover her cultivation and escape in just a few days?"

Ren Tianxiong's expression was also solemn. How could he not know that Chu Yanbing was ruthless and had almost led the entire sect astray?

But now that it has happened, no one could have predicted this outcome.

Sect Master Duan Rong waved his hand and advised, "Alright, alright, we can chase after them if they escape. Yun Ling, are you really not planning to stay in the sect? If you are willing to stay, I will make the decision to appoint you as an elder."

Zhang Yunling smiled wryly and shook his head: "Chu Yanbing killed my father. I swear I will not rest until I avenge him. It is not that I want to thwart the ancestor's good intentions, but I have a heavy burden on my shoulders and must bear everything."

Duan Rong nodded appreciatively. Although he was still reluctant to let this talented young man leave, he could not force him to do so, so he said, "In that case, you must accept the items that the sect gives you. They will definitely help you in your future revenge."

The Third Elder, Ming Shan, stood up and handed a storage bag to Zhang Yunling, saying, "Yunling, this journey will certainly not be peaceful. Here are some magic treasures and a million spirit stones that the sect has specially prepared for you. Take them as travel expenses."

Zhang Yunling calmed his agitated mood, accepted the storage bag with both hands, and respectfully bowed to the elders: "This junior thanks all the seniors. If I achieve great things in the future, I will definitely return to the sect to repay you all!"

The newly appointed Second Elder, Duan Weihuang, walked over, patted Zhang Yunling on the shoulder, and said with satisfaction, "Disciple, your master was right about you. All these decades of waiting were for your appearance."

Looking at his revered master, Zhang Yunling smiled and said, "Your disciple will certainly not disgrace your teachings in the future, Master. Please rest assured!"

The elders nodded in satisfaction and rose to see him off. Zhang Yunling bid them farewell one by one and left the Elders' Pavilion with a heart full of passion and lofty ambitions for his future path of cultivation.

Before leaving, he was to visit a friend, but before he could go in person, the friend had already been waiting for him for a long time.

Zhang Yunling walked forward slowly and spoke softly:

"Senior Brother Ren, thank you for taking care of me these past six months."

Ren Jixing was sitting on a stone bench by the square, staring at Zhang Yunling with reddened eyes. When he heard the other's voice, he finally couldn't hold back and two strings of tears slid down his cheeks.

"Junior brother! Waaaaah..." Ren Jixing rushed forward, hugged Zhang Yunling tightly, and cried out, trembling all over, "So many things have happened these past few days, I've been worried day and night, I was afraid something had happened to you!"

Zhang Yunling also stretched out his arms and hugged Ren Jixing tightly, quietly comforting him: "Don't cry, junior brother, I'm fine. Now that the sect is back on track, senior brother, you should be happy."

But Ren Jixing suddenly raised his head, grabbed Zhang Yunling's shoulders with both hands, and asked urgently, "Are you leaving? Are you going to chase after that Chu Yanbing? Who knows when we'll see each other again after this separation!"

Zhang Yunling sighed helplessly, "The hatred for killing my father must be avenged, there's nothing I can do about it. All good things must come to an end. If we are destined to meet again in the future, senior brother, we will surely meet again."

"No! You have to take me with you!" Ren Jixing retorted loudly. "Who said we have to separate? The road to revenge is extremely dangerous. If I, your senior brother, am by your side to protect you, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

"But...but what should we do about your curse?" Zhang Yunling pointed to Ren Jixing's abdomen, recalling the other party's peculiar cultivation method, which made him somewhat worried.

"This matter is not difficult to solve. The world is so big, surely we can find a few women to prolong my life? Junior brother, you can rest assured. Let's travel together, explore the world, and enjoy life. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Ren Jixing was going on and on about the benefits Zhang Yunling would get from taking him along, but just then he heard a loud shout from behind him:

"Ji Xing! Enough with the reminiscing, don't delay Yun Ling's business! If you don't train five hundred spirit plates by now, see how I deal with you when we get back!"

Zhang Yunling turned around and saw that it was Ren Jixing's grandfather, Ren Tianxiong. This senior was urging his grandson to go back and cultivate.

"I'm not going to practice that Spirit Disc! Let's go, Yunling! Let's go together! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Before he finished speaking, Ren Jixing grabbed Zhang Yunling's wrist, and the two of them took a step and flew into the air, heading towards the outside of the mountain gate.

Ren Tianxiong shook his head helplessly, sighing that his only grandson was good for nothing and had even corrupted Zhang Yunling, a promising young man.

Ren Jixing and Zhang Yunling flew out of the mountain gate and left the Quanzhen Sect.

Zhang Yunling looked back at the increasingly blurry Zhongnan Mountain behind him and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

In the Dao Tian Continent, at the center of the Five Regions, Zhang Yunling of the Quanzhen Daoist Sect, the foremost of the three great Daoist sects, thus successfully retired, bringing his journey to a perfect end.

But he understood that this was just the beginning; the path to immortality was long and arduous, and many more trials awaited him.

Success is reserved for those who have put in the effort; it comes from the courage and strength forged from repeated setbacks, and the determination and resilience to get back up after each fall.

When you finally achieve immortality through the righteous path, rising from nothing to something, from insignificant to powerful, what will it feel like to look back on your life's experiences?