In the second year of Chen Xun's time at the Dao Heaven Sect, he continued his daily routine of eating, sweeping, and sleeping. Nangong Yao often visited the thatched hut, like a student eager to learn. Although Chen Xun's words seemed like the ramblings of a madman, some of them greatly inspired Nangong Yao.

Sometimes Nangong Yao came alone, and other times he brought elders with him. Over time, the core elders became familiar with Chen Xun. With more frequent interactions, they finally understood why the Sect Master revered him as a master. Chen Xun's words often struck the elders like a great bell ringing in their minds or a refreshing spring cleansing their hearts, providing them with profound insights.

Chen Xun's seemingly mad utterances were unlike anything the elders had heard before, yet they remembered every word. For example:

"A tree as tall as a man grows from a tiny seed; a nine-story tower begins with a heap of earth; a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."

Initially, the elders didn't understand, but upon reflection, they realized it was a truth. Cultivation is a long process that requires starting from the smallest details, being grounded, and continuously accumulating to achieve the great path.

Another example:

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing oneself is enlightenment. Conquering others requires force; conquering oneself requires strength."

To the elders, this meant that on the path of cultivation, one must not only understand others but also oneself, avoiding being consumed by desires and weaknesses to achieve the great path.

Yet another example:

"The Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things."

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This statement shocked the elders even more, as it suggested that the Dao is the root of all things, and cultivators must pursue unity with the Dao.

And another:

"Heaven and Earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs; the sage is unkind, treating the people as straw dogs."

This statement delivered a spiritual blow to the elders. Cultivators must transcend worldly notions of good and evil, treating all things with equality, without favoritism or discrimination.

Reflecting on this, the cultivation world has always been distinct from the mundane, with cultivators viewing themselves as above the ordinary, claiming to avoid the mundane to prevent contamination, yet in reality, they see mortals as ants, unworthy of association. Every cultivator comes from the mortal world, yet ultimately despises their origins. Why is this?

It's worth pondering.

From Chen Xun, Liu Yunjian and other core elders also gained much, achieving sudden enlightenment in many matters, and their Dao hearts felt increasingly stable. Thereafter, when Liu Yunjian and the elders saw Chen Xun, they would respectfully call him master from the bottom of their hearts.

In the second year, Zhao Ting broke through to the late Foundation Stage. His cultivation speed finally slowed down, requiring more time to solidify his foundation, as the future formation of the Golden Core was a significant hurdle that required great caution.

Perhaps in the early stages, Zhao Ting could quickly break through with the sect's resources, but once past the late Foundation Stage, future breakthroughs would not come as swiftly, each taking years, decades, or even centuries.

Every time Zhao Ting emerged from seclusion, he would seek out Chen Xun to share his good news. On several occasions, Nangong Yao and the elders were outside the thatched hut, and upon sensing Zhao Ting's arrival, they quickly concealed themselves to avoid being discovered.

From the shadows, Nangong Yao and the others watched Zhao Ting with Chen Xun, their eyelids twitching, silently cursing his lack of decorum. Consequently, they would look to Chu Ningshang, communicating telepathically, "Fourth Elder, your disciple has talent, but he needs to learn how to conduct himself."

In such moments, Chu Ningshang could only respond awkwardly, "Ignorance is not a crime, ignorance is not a crime..."

However, upon returning, Chu Ningshang would sternly reprimand Zhao Ting. Zhao Ting, bewildered, thought to himself that he hadn't caused any trouble since coming out of seclusion, so why was his master reprimanding him?

At the end of the second year, many disciples on the Servants' Peak reached their limits and left the sect to live out their lives in the mundane world. However, with some minor cultivation, their remaining lives in the mundane world would likely be remarkable.

As some disciples left, others naturally advanced to the Outer Sect. Although few in number, it was still something. The disciples who advanced to the Outer Sect faced a future of monotonous yet hopeful cultivation.

To put it nicely, these advancing disciples were continuing the pursuit of the elusive path to immortality for those Servant Disciples who had left the sect, which was a beautiful thing. Perhaps in the end, the path to immortality would remain elusive, and they would fade into obscurity. But so what?

In the third year of Chen Xun's time at the Dao Heaven Sect, chaos erupted in the Northern Profound Cultivation World. The long-standing peace between the Righteous and Demonic Paths suddenly gave way to war. The catalyst was the exposure of a Demon Sect's abduction of Righteous Sect disciples on missions, turning them into blood slaves.

A Righteous Sect, noticing the repeated disappearance of its disciples, sought an explanation from the Demon Sect, only to discover that the Demon Sect was secretly gathering over half of the Northern Profound's high-ranking demonic officials. When discovered, the Demon Sect decided to eliminate witnesses, detaining the Righteous Sect's high-ranking visitors and disciples in the Blood Slave Hall.

This incident caused a massive uproar in the Northern Profound Cultivation World, with the Righteous Sects vowing to eradicate the Demonic Sects. The Demon Sect, exposed but unrepentant, became even more rampant, revealing its cruel nature.

In the third year, Righteous Sect disciples frequently went missing during missions, all at the hands of the Demonic Path. The Righteous Sects attempted to unite against the Demonic Sects, fighting for over half a year but suffering repeated setbacks. The reason was the Demonic Sects' unity, while many unaffected Righteous Sects remained indifferent.

By the end of the third year, the war subsided. However, everyone knew this was merely a temporary respite due to the Righteous Path's inability to match the Demonic Path. The entire Northern Profound Cultivation World was engulfed in the calm before the storm.

Major Righteous Sects issued bans, prohibiting disciples from leaving, but this couldn't last long, as it severely hindered sect development. In the short term, it was manageable, but over time, sect resources would inevitably dwindle.

As time passed, many Righteous Sects could no longer endure, lifting the bans and allowing disciples to venture out under the protection of stewards or guardians. However, they didn't anticipate that the Demonic Sects had already stationed people to monitor them day and night, ready to strike at any moment.

Despite being led by stewards and guardians, the sects suffered heavy losses. The Righteous Path had no choice but to reinstate the bans, resulting in a stalemate.

At the Dao Heaven Sect, the atmosphere was quieter than in previous years. Servant Disciples continued their daily chores and cultivation, though meager, they were the safest at this time, as they didn't have to perform missions outside the sect.

However, disciples and elders from the Human Profound Peak and Earth Profound Peak wore expressions of sorrow and gravity, distracted and lacking the will to cultivate, frequently glancing towards the Dao Heaven Peak with anticipation and anxiety.

At this moment, in the Inner Pavilion of Dao Heaven Peak, Nangong Yao and the core elders sat in silence, the atmosphere solemn. Nangong Yao took a deep breath and spoke first, "In a few days, it will be a year since the Northern Profound's Righteous and Demonic Paths clashed, won't it?"

The elders nodded, their expressions heavy. Who could have predicted that the long-stable Northern Profound would suddenly face such turmoil? It was no wonder the Demonic Sects had been so quiet before; they were secretly planning this all along.

Moreover, this year, the Dao Heaven Sect had suffered significant losses...

Nangong Yao paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Bring the list."

Liu Yunjian was startled, quickly retrieving a list and handing it over. The elders pursed their lips, silent as they looked at the list.

Nangong Yao took the list, opened it, and read aloud, "Two hundred and fifteen Outer Sect disciples missing, twenty-four Inner Sect disciples missing, one Purple-Robed Disciple missing."

Upon hearing this, the elders sighed deeply, pain evident in their eyes. Everyone knew that the so-called missing disciples had been captured by the Demon Sect to become blood slaves.

Jiang Bailu stood abruptly, his heart aching, "Sect Master, we must save Jingyao! If we delay any longer, Jingyao's life will be in danger!"

The Jingyao mentioned by Third Elder Jiang Bailu was his true disciple, Su Jingyao, who had been captured by the Demon Sect during an outing and had not been heard from since.

The elders sighed, their expressions despondent, filled with anger and helplessness. The main issue was that they still didn't know which Demon Sect had captured these disciples, leaving them at a loss.

Expecting the Dao Heaven Sect to single-handedly challenge the entire Northern Profound Demonic Sect? That was impossible. While the Dao Heaven Sect was a top-tier Righteous Sect in the Northern Profound, it wasn't the strongest among the Righteous Sects. Even if it were the strongest, it couldn't face the entire Demonic Path alone.

Purple-Robed Disciples were incredibly precious, and the Dao Heaven Sect only had fifteen, but reality left them with no choice. If they could accurately determine which Demon Sect had taken their disciples, they would have already sought retribution.

Nangong Yao frowned slightly, speaking coldly, "Third Elder, calm yourself. This matter requires careful consideration. Jingyao is indeed a Purple-Robed Disciple and your true disciple, but you must not be biased in your words."

As he spoke, Nangong Yao shook the list vigorously in front of Jiang Bailu, saying, "Are those two hundred and fifteen Outer Sect disciples and twenty-four Inner Sect disciples not treasures of our Dao Heaven Sect?!"

"What good is urgency? As the Sect Master, I am more anxious than you!"