Three months after the Immortal Judgment Bell tolled, the conscription decree arrived as expected.
The master and disciples of the Embodiment Transformation Dao Sect gathered to discuss the best course of action.
Li Fan tried to join them quietly, but Master Tian Yangzi sternly pulled him outside.
He could only vaguely hear the conversation from beyond the door.
“What bullshit is this conscription decree? Why should we obey? Those major sects have thousands of members. Sending a few is no problem for them.
“But our Embodiment Transformation Dao Sect has so few members, and they still want us on the front lines? What kind of logic is that?”
Second Senior Brother spoke just as vehemently as before.
Yet in the end, the result was the same.
Big Senior Brother was the first to join the war.
Before his departure, everyone bid him farewell with tears.
Li Fan asked his big senior brother who he was going to fight.
Si Xing merely smiled, patted his little junior brother's head, and said he was going to fight the bad guys.
Then he transformed into a streak of green light and soared into the sky.
After Big Senior Brother’s departure, the Embodiment Transformation Dao Sect felt noticeably more somber.
Thankfully, Second Senior Brother remained as lively as ever, bringing laughter and warmth to those around him.
And when Li Fan successfully broke through to Foundation Establishment, the entire sect enjoyed a rare period of celebration.
But happiness was always fleeting.
One year and three months after Si Xing's departure, tragic news arrived.
Big Senior Brother had fallen in battle.
Second Senior Brother was filled with grief and fury. According to the information he had obtained in private, this was clearly caused by the Ten Great Immortal Sects underestimating their enemy.
At the outset, the battle had gone exceptionally well, with the enemy driven back step by step.
But the forces led by the Ten Great Immortal Sects had severely underestimated the enemy's true strength.
During one pursuit, they were suddenly ambushed and caught completely off guard. The losses were catastrophic, and the front lines nearly collapsed.
Thus, the Ten Great Immortal Sects issued another conscription decree.
The Embodiment Transformation Dao Sect naturally harbored endless resentment toward the Ten Great Immortal Sects. But unless they wished to be completely annihilated like other remote mountain sects, they had no choice but to obey the command and enlist once more.
This time, it was Second Senior Brother who went to the war front.
For this, he even fought fiercely with Third Senior Brother.
In the past, whenever the two senior brothers sparred, Third Senior Brother Lian Chang would usually come out slightly ahead.
This time, to prevent the other from going to their death, both fought with their true abilities.
This time, Lian Chang actually lost.
Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao’s strength was far more formidable than usual.
With a flourish of his wondrous brush, ink splashed into the air and instantly transformed into dozens of flying swords.
Though constructed from brushstrokes, they appeared as real as tangible blades.
They whistled through the air, crashing against the copper bell protecting Lian Chang.
His brush never slowed, summoning a storm of illusory artifacts that scattered like blossoms from the sky, battering his opponent relentlessly.
Lian Chang was left with almost no chance to fight back.
It turned out that all this time, Ling Xiao had been holding back.
Lian Chang was utterly despondent.
But Ling Xiao smiled and bid everyone farewell.
Before leaving, he entrusted Li Fan with dozens of his written works, books he hadn’t yet found the time to sell.
He warned Li Fan not to peek. But if he really couldn't resist, he should exercise moderation.
Then, he gracefully departed.
After Second Senior Brother Ling Xiao left, the Embodiment Transformation Dao Sect fell into utter silence.
Watching his disciples depart one after another, Master Tian Yangzi seemed to age overnight.
Third Senior Brother Lian Chang had always been a man of few words. After this blow, he buried himself in cultivation with near-mad fervor.
Li Fan followed suit.
Two years and three months after Ling Xiao’s departure, the conscription decree arrived once again.
But Senior Brother Ling Xiao never returned.
This time, anticipating resistance, the Ten Great Immortal Sects dispatched a conscription envoy.
Disobedience would be punished by death.