Half a month later.
At midday, a tremendously powerful aura suddenly soared from Liuyue Peak, pointing straight into the heavens.
The sunlight was obscured in an instant, and a bright, pristine white moon appeared across the sky.
It was as though night had descended over Dadao Sect in a single breath. Such an anomaly immediately drew the attention of everyone across the entire sect.
Under the gaze of myriad onlookers, an elegant figure clad in white emerged.
With a lithe, graceful silhouette like a True Immortal dwelling in the moon, she left everyone in Dadao Sect—men and women alike—dazed for a brief moment the instant their eyes fell upon her.
"Congratulations to Junior Sister Jingtong on advancing to the Dao Integration stage!"
The resonant voice of Dadao Sect's sect master, Fang Dingge, echoed far and wide, followed by one congratulatory call after another.
No one had anticipated that the Yuehua Lineage, historically frail, would be the first to have a core disciple step into Dao Integration.
Even more crucially, Huo Jingtong had cultivated for less than a century to this day.
She was simply too young.
In other words, so long as she did not court death, she had every chance of surviving until the day she could consume a Longevity fruit status.
A potential Longevity realm powerhouse—the balance of power within Dadao Sect was bound to shift completely.
Countless minds stirred with excitement and ambition.
Once people recovered from their shock, they hurriedly dispatched subordinates to prepare congratulatory gifts.
Under Fang Dingge's instructions, the grand celebration for Huo Jingtong's breakthrough to Dao Integration was held with extraordinary ceremony.
Not only did the entire sect celebrate together, but formal invitations were also sent to the other sects among the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao.
The festivities lasted for well over a month before the curtain finally fell.
Once everything quieted down, Huo Jingtong, now a Dao Integration cultivator, quietly returned to Liuyue Peak.
"Master..." Li Qing had already been waiting here for a long time.
He looked at Huo Jingtong with a faint smile.
Huo Jingtong knew in her heart that her breakthrough would have been utterly impossible without Li Qing's aid.
"You insolent wretch..."
"Have you ever tasted a Dao Integration cultivator?"
Huo Jingtong's eyes were hazy with desire, uttering words completely contrary to her dignified demeanor.
At the same time, with a flick of her hand, she laid down a restriction and sealed the door.
Only after seven full days behind closed doors did she emerge, somewhat reluctant to part from him.
And the feedback from a Dao Integration cultivator was truly beyond imagination.
Because Huo Jingtong had become imbued with the power of the Great Dao upon her integration, the Scripture of Inverse Order touched upon additional principles of Heaven and Earth beyond Inverting Yang into Yin.
The harvest this time surpassed everything prior combined.
It directly propelled Li Qing, who had only recently stepped into Soul Formation, into the mid Soul Formation stage.
He was now one step closer to his goal.
Following her breakthrough, Huo Jingtong—as the sole surviving Dao Integration expert in the Yuehua Lineage—naturally became its true ruler.
Dao Integration cultivators enjoyed immense privileges.
Not only could she claim an entire mountain peak as her private residence, but she also held the power of life and death over ordinary disciples.
Moreover, Dadao Sect placed great trust in this Dao Integration cultivator who had been raised within the sect since childhood.
To support her in reviving the Yuehua Lineage, the sect even granted Huo Jingtong authorities that many other Dao Integration elders did not possess.
Thus, capable of blocking out the sky with one hand within the Yuehua Lineage, Huo Jingtong gradually set her plans in motion.
Having personally experienced the terrifying wonders of Li Qing's special constitution, and as its greatest beneficiary, her stance had aligned completely with his.
Under various pretexts, she summoned the outstanding female cultivators of the Yuehua Lineage to her estate.
Then Li Qing stepped forward.
Although there was an element of intimidation involved, once they cultivated together, the women noticed slight improvements in their own realms.
Consequently, what little resentment remained in their hearts vanished without a trace.
They even actively kept the secret, hoping to gain further opportunities in the future.
In this manner, within less than a year, the Yuehua Lineage fell entirely into Li Qing's grasp.
As Li Qing's cultivation grew increasingly profound, this bizarre atmosphere naturally drew the attention of the lineage's few male cultivators.
However, lacking tangible proof, and with Huo Jingtong, a Dao Integration cultivator, suppressing any dissent, they were utterly helpless.
The only thing they could do was volunteer for external assignments to escape.
Huo Jingtong naturally granted every request.
With the departure of those male cultivators, the Yuehua Lineage came thoroughly under the control of Li Qing and Huo Jingtong.
Freely absorbing and refining primordial yin, Li Qing's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds without the slightest bottleneck.
He reached the peak of Soul Formation.
He was now merely a single step away from Dao Integration.
"I need another female Dao Integration cultivator to assist me," Li Qing said slowly to Huo Jingtong within the secret chamber.
Huo Jingtong stared into Li Qing's eyes for a long while before finally nodding.
"There aren't many female Dao Integration cultivators in the sect. Among them, Zhang Xiyu of the Dao Safeguarding Courtyard has the flimsiest social ties, making her the most suitable target."
Li Qing already had a clear assessment of the female Dao Integration cultivators in Dadao Sect.
"She is eccentric and reclusive, rarely interacting with others. She truly is a good target. But she is a Dao Integration cultivator after all..." A hint of concern surfaced in Li Qing's eyes.
Huo Jingtong smiled faintly. "Rest assured. It doesn't necessarily have to involve bloodshed."
"Zhang Xiyu doesn't care much about mortal appearances. Instead, she cares immensely about her cultivation realm. If I use the secret behind how my cultivation progressed so rapidly as bait, how could she fail to submit?"
"Master is growing more and more like me!" Li Qing praised.
Amid their whispered plotting, a vast web of conspiracy unfurled.
And the plan progressed remarkably smoothly.
Upon hearing Huo Jingtong's explanation, Zhang Xiyu showed little hesitation before agreeing to give it a try.
However, she delivered a stern warning: if it proved ineffective, she would take both of their lives as repayment.
Li Qing smiled, assuring her that she had nothing to worry about.
Two Dao Integration cultivators and one quasi–Dao Integration cultivator walked together into the seclusion chamber.
Time slipped by, and a month quickly passed.
By the time Zhang Xiyu departed, Li Qing had already successfully broken through to Dao Integration.
Had the two beauties at his side not concealed the commotion of his breakthrough, he would likely have been exposed on the spot.
"Are you finally satisfied now?"
Huo Jingtong embraced Li Qing from behind, murmuring softly.
Li Qing fell silent for a moment before countering, "Is Master truly not interested in that Longevity fruit status?"
Huo Jingtong's arms suddenly stiffened.
Then she clutched Li Qing tightly, refusing to let go for a long while.
Only after quite some time did she giggle softly. "With your talents, the next Longevity fruit status is bound to be in the bag for you."
Li Qing took Huo Jingtong's hands and said earnestly, "I will still need Master's help for that."
...
From then on, the two began their push toward the Longevity fruit status, the highest echelon in the cultivation world.
At this moment, less than ten years had elapsed since Li Qing first began his Foundation Establishment.
In other words, Senior Sister Zhao, Zhao Ruoxi, was still in seclusion.
And Li Qing seemed to have completely forgotten this childhood friend of his, making no deliberate attempt to seek her out.
On this day, the ten-year mark arrived.
The sealed stone door slowly rose, and Zhao Ruoxi stepped out of the chamber.
Taking a deep breath, her expression suddenly changed.
And then...
The entire Dadao Sect began to violently shake.
Chapter 923