The disciples may simply be shocked, but the four elders in the secret chamber of the main peak of the Hidden Edge Sect, Xuan Yuan Peak, were downright terrified.

One of the elders had already reached the peak of the Tribulation Transcending Realm and was about to break through to the upper three states.

The four of them were discussing in the secret chamber to give the advancing elder advice to increase their chances of transcending the tribulation.

The existence of any elder in the upper three states was too important to the sect, so much so that they did not hesitate to use forbidden techniques and secret arts to refine a formation disk.

Who knew that the heavenly punishment was surging outside? Even the mountain protection array had been activated and was operating at full power.

"This heavenly punishment has not even descended, yet its sheer power has already suppressed us to the point where we can't even breathe. Could our forbidden technique really be such an affront to the Heavenly Dao?"

"Although our Hidden Edge Sect's forbidden technique is not allowed by the heavenly axiom, it's not like there haven't been any elders in the past who relied on it to overcome their tribulations. They got off lightly without such punishment."

While the four of them were at a loss, the heavenly punishment had already descended from the outside.

Lightning flashed continuously. It was accompanied by the falling of meteorites from the fires of heaven. At the same time, the hurricane swept up the sand and rocks, spiraling towards the Hidden Edge Sect.

The Hidden Edge sect's mountain protection formation was activated, swiftly spinning up to full power. Waves of light appeared, briefly illuminating the spiraling Golden Dragon Shadows and roaring White Tigers.

However, the might of the sky was relentless and the mountain protection formation only lasted for a few dozen breaths before it collapsed!

There was even a strange power of tribulation coming from it. The four elders in the secret chamber felt as if they had been struck by lightning and started vomiting blood one after another. The formation plates floating in front of them were also cracking.

"This... No!"

Exclamations came from all over the Hidden Edge Sect.

The tombstones in the ancestral mausoleum trembled slightly. The top of the library pavilion lit up with a green light, and the lake at the back of the mountain rippled.

Just as the Hidden Edge Sect was about to flash their trump card, Ye Changge who lay on the ground of Xin Peak, finally sorted out the energy of Cheng Deyin's mysterious cave heaven and used the power of the cave heaven to extinguish the heavenly punishment.

In an instant, the members of the Hidden Edge Sect felt a mist shrouding them. They couldn't see anything clearly.

There seemed to be a rumbling sound of water as if a huge waterfall was flowing down.

In the distance, they seemed to see a towering mountain peak. It was surrounded by clouds, and powerful spiritual energy spread around them.

When the strange phenomenon disappeared, everything returned to normal, and the heavenly punishment disappeared without a trace.

Only the crowd looked at each other in dismay.

The Sect Master of the Hidden Edge Sect urgently summoned the elders to the main hall for a meeting.

Not long after, the disciples of various peaks received the news that the Hidden Edge Sect had experienced a strange phenomenon that the sect's foundations managed to obstruct.

After the order was issued, the disciples of the Hidden Edge Sect settled down, but the Sect Master and the elders continued to discuss in the main hall.

After all, they knew that the Hidden Edge Sect's foundation had not been used, and the cause of the heavenly punishment was completely unknown.

When Ye Changge used the heavenly passage energy, he had already vaguely understood the hidden deep foundation of the Hidden Edge Sect.

He could not help but sigh in his heart, "They are really as stable as old dogs!"

He had already found out the reason for the situation of the four ancestors in the secret chamber.

He came up with an idea. While the four ancestors were still unconscious, he sneaked into the secret chamber and left a bottle of medicinal pills.

Two days later, the four patriarchs of the Hidden Edge sect woke up, one after another in the secret chamber. When they saw the broken array disk, they smelled a wonderful fragrance before they could even lament their loss. It actually made their injuries slightly better.

Their attention was immediately attracted to the bottle of medicinal pills in the middle.

An old man with long eyebrows carefully pulled out the bottle stopper and looked at it. "Supreme Yi Heavenly Essence Pill! It's actually the Supreme Yi Heavenly Essence Pill!"

"What? Are you serious?"

The four patriarchs looked at each other in disbelief.

They tried hard to surmise its source, but to no avail. In the end, they could only blame everything on the mysterious heritage of the Hidden Edge Sect and let it go.

At least it turned out good. With this pill, the results of the tribulation was almost certain.

However, this inexplicable heavenly punishment still left a deep impression in everyone's hearts.

At the same time, somewhere in the eastern region, there was a grand and majestic hall with a ghostly aura.

"The Hidden Edge Sect recently received an extremely powerful heavenly punishment. Their sect's grand array was destroyed, but it was later stopped by some unknown means."

"From the information that leaked out, the disciples of the Hidden Edge Sect saw strange phenomena. Strange mountains and strange rivers appeared around them, but they were blocked by the thick fog and could not be seen clearly."

After a moment of silence, a sharp voice cracked through the air, "Humph, I wonder how many trump cards the Hidden Edge Sect has. It's no longer surprising for them to have all kinds of tricks."

Another voice said, "Our plan back then was to infiltrate the Hidden Edge Sect. We can't afford to be careless."

"Now that we have accumulated our strength again, we will eventually face them when the plan is implemented again. This time, we won't repeat the same mistake."

An authoritative voice sounded, "The Hidden Edge Sect has to be on guard. Speed up the gathering of intelligence. Also, have our people use Earth Beasts to enter their domain from the underground to gather intelligence."

"Yes!"

..

Central Region, Wan Xiang Gate, Sky Bearing Tower.

An old man stood on the highest observation platform of the sky-bearing tower, carefully examining the weather. There seemed to be a sea of clouds surging in his eyes.

Wan Xiang Gate was one of the sacred grounds of the central region. They were famous for being able to observe the weather and understand the affairs of the world.

The sky-bearing tower was a place to observe the stars. Its name naturally came from the sky-bearing giant pillar. From the side, it could be seen that the Wan Xiang sect was ambitious.

"There's been a change in the eastern region. A heavenly punishment has descended. I don't know what exactly happened. Have someone investigate."

"We will obey the forefather's orders!"

..

After the heavenly punishment, Reclining Firewood Peak once again regained its calm.

As the Cheng Deyin mysterious cave heaven and the sky-bearing giant pillar merged, the cave heaven's growth speed increased once again. The spiritual energy of the entire Hidden Edge Sect slowly became denser.

Many elders began to speculate about the connection between the changes in the mountain gate and the previous heavenly punishment.

After all, some things could not be settled without sure clarity.

On this day, He Xiuxing came to Ye Changge's door, where he hesitated and dared not enter.

Li Shiyi saw him and walked up to him strangely. "Eldest senior brother, what do you want to see Master for? Why don't you go in?"

"This... sigh." He Xiuxing wanted to say something but hesitated.

Ye Changge's faint voice came from inside the room. "What do you want to talk about? Come in and talk."

"Yes!" He Xiuxing and Li Shiyi's expressions turned serious. They tidied up their appearances and pushed the door open to enter.

Ye Changge was sitting on the futon. He asked, "Disciple, if there's anything, just say it."

After hesitating for a long time, He Xiuxing said, "Master, I would like to go down the mountain and integrate into the lives of mortals. I want to be a traveling merchant and travel around the world to experience the true path of mortals."

Thinking of the sect's ancestral teachings and the rules of action that his master strictly adhered to, He Xiuxing felt uneasy.

His Master had said not to go down the mountain unless it was necessary. Such a request violated his master's teachings.

Ye Changge's voice rang in his ears. "Why do you want to go down the mountain?"

"Your disciple had an epiphany. Your disciple is walking on the path of mortal cultivation. To go and experience the life of a mortal. To live, to grow old, to die of illness, to be poor, rich, and lowly. A traveling merchant is a suitable role for such experiences. However, this is contrary to the teachings of the sect. Your disciple, your disciple..."

Hearing him hesitate, Ye Changge smiled. "What is the purpose of going up the mountain? Cultivation. Why do you want to go down the mountain? It is also because you had an epiphany in your heart, for the sake of cultivation."

"I told you not to go down the mountain. But what if your path of cultivation led you down? What if an epiphany led you to such desires?"

"Your Dao is your own path. If you realize that you want to go down the mountain to gain experience, then you will pursue it. Regardless of your success, this is your own path. As long as you have a clear conscience. Go!"

"Your disciple receives your teachings! I bid farewell to Master!" After saying that, He Xiuxing knelt down and bowed three times to Ye Changge.

He then stood up and said to Li Shiyi, "Junior brother, I'm going down the mountain. Master has something to do, so please assist him."

Li Shiyi nodded. "Don't worry, go down the mountain. I'll serve master. Don't worry."

He Xiuxing cupped his hands and bowed again. He went back to pack his luggage. He carried his cloth bag and took his axe down the mountain.