Desert of Ancient Gods

At the edge of the roof of the world stands a majestic and continuous mountain range called Kunlun. Above the lofty Kunlun Mountains, there is a place unknown to the world, called the Jade Void Palace, which is more magnificent than a fairyland. Immortal energy surrounds this place all year round, with auspicious birds flying around. This is where the Heavenly Venerable of the Primordial Beginning once taught his disciples. At this time, it has been over ten thousand years since the Heavenly Venerable of the Primordial Beginning returned to the Thirty-Three Heavens. The technological and cultural civilization of human society has advanced to an extreme, while the teachings of the past have declined. The Jade Void Palace is no longer as prosperous as it used to be. The vast palace is empty, with hardly any people in sight. In the main hall of the Jade Void Palace, the head of the sect, Qingxu, is frowning in contemplation. Two old men are standing next to him, both with white hair and sharp spirits. They are the four elders of the Kunlun Sect: Qingwei, Qingzhen, Qingming, and Qingjing. These five figures are all prominent figures in the cultivation world, but at the moment, they all have troubled expressions and remain silent, as if they have encountered a difficult problem. After a while, the third elder Qingming breaks the silence, "What's the big deal? Our Kunlun Sect isn't afraid of Mount Shu. We won't let the disciples of the Orthodox One Sect from Mount Longhu off the hook. If they dare to come to our Kunlun Mountain, we will make sure they never leave." "Brother, do you understand the situation?" the eldest elder Qingwei on the right side said, "The Shu Mountain Sect killed our Kunlun disciples first and then stole our treasures. We killed twelve of their disciples to avenge our own, which was considered fair by the world. But the disciples of the Orthodox One Sect from Mount Longhu have no grudges against us. We killed them without any reason, which is unacceptable from a moral standpoint. If the disciples of the Orthodox One Sect come to seek revenge, we won't be able to justify our actions. Although they are not as strong as the Shu Mountain Sect, they are harder to deal with..." "I just can't stand this anger. If they provoke me, I'll kill them all, regardless of whether it's reasonable or not. Who would dare to make a fuss then?" Qingming shouted angrily. "As the leader of the Kunlun Sect for thousands of years, we should show the demeanor of a leader of the righteous path. We cannot lose our moral ground under any circumstances. Since we have accidentally killed the disciples of Mount Longhu, we have lost our initiative. We should think about how to deal with those stubborn fellows from Mount Longhu." The second elder, Qingzhen, took over. "What can we do? Do you have any solutions?" Qingming said regretfully. At this point, Qingxu spoke up, "Elders, since we were in the wrong, we should apologize to Mount Longhu. The Orthodox One Sect is only making trouble for us because we haven't taken a stand. If we don't make our position clear, we won't be able to explain to our disciples and will appear weak in front of the world. Let's give them some face and an opportunity to back down. This is also a chance for us to show the world the magnanimity of the Kunlun Sect. Recently, many people have been criticizing us for our narrow-mindedness over the death of one disciple of our sect, and even killing twelve disciplesclear his mind. Two old men stood beside him, both with white hair and sharp spirits. They were the four elders of the Kunlun Sect: Qingwei, Qingzhen, Qingming, and Qingjing. These five were important figures in the world of cultivation and were known to shake the entire community with a single stomp. Yet, at this moment, they all had furrowed brows and troubled expressions, as if they had encountered a difficult problem. After a moment of silence, Qingming, the third elder on the left, spoke first. "Damn it, we are the Kunlun Sect, and we are not afraid of even Mount Shu. We shouldn't fear the Zhengyi Sect. Even if the disciples of Longhu Mountain don't come, if they dare to come to Kunlun Mountain, we'll make sure they won't be able to leave alive." "Junior brother, do you understand the situation?" Qingwei, the eldest of the elders on the right, said. "The disciples of Mount Shu attacked and killed our Kunlun disciples first, and then took our treasure. When we killed twelve of their disciples in revenge, we were in the right. But the disciples of the Zhengyi Sect had no grudge with us. Now, we have killed their innocent disciples, and we cannot stand firmly on the side of 'right.' If the Zhengyi Sect comes to us for revenge, we cannot fight them without justification. Although their strength is weaker than that of Mount Shu, they are much more difficult to deal with." "I can't stand this anger anymore," Qingming roared. "If we are provoked, we will kill them all without hesitation. Let's see who dares to make noise then!" "As the leader of the Kunlun Sect for thousands of years, we must maintain our reputation as righteous leaders," Qingzhen, the second elder, said. "No matter what happens, we cannot lose the moral high ground. Now that we have made a mistake by killing the disciples of Longhu Mountain, we must think of a way to deal with them. There must be a solution." "What solution is there?" Qingming said in frustration. At this moment, Qingxu, the head of the Kunlun Sect, spoke up. "Elders, since we are in the wrong, we should apologize to Longhu Mountain. Zhengyi Sect only wanted our support, and their absence was due to our silence. If we stay silent, we cannot justify ourselves to our disciples. Moreover, this is an opportunity for us to show our magnanimity to the world. Lately, many people have been saying that we Kunlun Sect are narrow-minded. We should show them that we are not. For the sake of one disciple, we killed ten of Mount Shu's disciples. It's time to show the world that we are better than that." "If you want to apologize, go ahead. I've lived for over 500 years and have never done anything that would embarrass my ancestors." Qingming Zhenren snorted in anger and stopped speaking. Suddenly, a panicked Baihe Tongzi rushed into the main hall and shouted, "Master, elders, something's wrong. Longhu Mountain has brought many people to our doorstep!" "Hmm?" Qingming Zhenren's eyes widened. "These little dogs really dare to come. Let me show them what happens when they mess with me!" He strode out of the main hall. "Junior Brother! Junior Brother! Don't be reckless!" The Grand Elder shouted twice and quickly followed him. Qingxu Zhanjiao shook his head and said, "Two elders, let's go out and take a look too. This is our fault, and sooner or later we will have to give an explanation to the righteous path. Since they have come, we cannot avoid it."