The Daoist robes worn by these people were embroidered with a lotus flower. Most of them were weaker in cultivation than the Void Mountain Sect's sect master and elders. But the one leading them — a scrawny old man with barely any hair on his head, his face covered in wrinkles, gaunt as a dried-up corpse — possessed a cultivation at the eighth level of the Xuan Martial Realm.
Such a level of cultivation might not count for much in another province, but in Qingzhou, it was considered the pinnacle of strength. He was none other than the founder of the Lotus Sect, Elder Lotus.
"Elder Lotus, we agreed on the terms. I've done as you asked and relocated away from the Void Mountain Range. I only ask that you honor your promise and give my Void Mountain Sect a way out," the Void Mountain Sect master stepped forward and said. He was genuinely wary of this eighth-level Xuan Martial elder.
"Heh heh heh, don't worry. As sect master, of course I keep my word," Elder Lotus said. "But speaking of which, your Void Mountain Sect really does have some promising seedlings. Now that you — a dignified sect master — are wandering about like a stray dog with nowhere to go, can you really bear to let your disciples suffer alongside you, spat upon by the world?"
"Elder Lotus, what exactly do you mean?" The Void Mountain Sect master's brow furrowed tightly. He felt that something terrible was coming.
"Ha ha, nothing really. I just don't want to see so many good seedlings go to waste under your leadership." Elder Lotus curled the corner of his mouth, then shifted his gaze toward the vast sea of people behind the Void Mountain Sect master. Raising his voice, he addressed the hundreds of thousands of elders and disciples: "Everyone, from this day forward, the Void Mountain Range shall be renamed the Lotus Mountain Range, and the Void Mountain Sect shall become the Lotus Sect. As for me, Elder Lotus, I see that you all possess extraordinary talent, and I cannot bear to watch you suffer and be despised under this incompetent fool."
"Therefore, I am willing to open the doors of my Lotus Sect to you all. Anyone who wishes to stay is welcome to join the Lotus Sect. To be perfectly honest, the Lotus Sect has already applied to the Azure Dragon Manor for first-rank sect status. As long as you stay, you will become elders and disciples of a first-rank sect."
"Hoooo———"
The moment these words left Elder Lotus's lips, a massive uproar erupted among the crowd. Many of the Void Mountain Sect's elders and disciples exchanged glances, their faces lighting up with surprise and excitement.
"Elder Lotus, isn't this going a bit too far?" At that moment, the Void Mountain Sect master's face had turned ashen, but he didn't dare make a move. He himself could care less about life and death, but he didn't want his actions to bring suffering upon tens of thousands of lives in his sect.
"Oh, I'm simply considering their futures. Am I wrong? Besides, I'm letting them choose for themselves — I'm not forcing anyone."
"If anyone's gone too far, it should be you, shouldn't it? You're incompetent yourself, yet you insist on dragging so many promising juniors down with you. Aren't you the one wasting their futures?" Elder Lotus sneered.
"You—?" The Void Mountain Sect master gritted his teeth in fury, but in the end, he forced himself to hold it in. Then he turned and roared at the crowd behind him: "Anyone who is willing to continue following me, step out of the Void Mountain Sect and come down the mountain with me!!!"
As soon as the Void Mountain Sect master spoke those words, most of the senior elders stepped forward and stood behind him. At the same time, many elders and disciples followed suit, walking out of the Void Mountain Sect, prepared to descend the mountain with him.
However, whether they were elders or disciples, at this very moment, only a few thousand people were willing to stand behind the Void Mountain Sect master and continue following him.
The remaining hundreds of thousands of disciples remained rooted to the spot. When the sect's interests clashed with their own, these people had given the Void Mountain Sect master a clear answer.
"You lot are despicable! The sect master has treated you well, yet you are so heartless and ungrateful! Have you all lost your conscience?!" Seeing this, the Void Mountain Sect's senior elders pointed at the elders and disciples and began cursing in outrage.
Faced with the elders' curses, many disciples felt deeply ashamed and hung their heads in silence. But some disciples and elders simply fired back: "Elder, people seek to climb higher just as water flows downhill. Are we wrong for that?"