The deflated cultivator refused to give up and vowed to turn the tables.

Just as Zheng Changtian was about to strike Huang Chenghe with both palms, a shout came from not far away: "Wait!" A palm carrying a scorching aura struck Zheng Changtian's side.

This move was a diversionary tactic, forcing Zheng Changtian to dodge. If Zheng Changtian continued to attack Huang Chenghe, Huang Chenghe might be seriously injured or even killed, but Zheng Changtian would also be struck by the true energy of this palm strike.

Zheng Changtian quickly withdrew his palm, flipped over, and leaped back two zhang. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Xinyangzi who had returned.

He reached the eighth-star cultivation level extremely quickly; Su Zinong and the others arrived shortly afterward.

"What's going on?" Faith Child shouted.

Huang Chenghe slowly shook his head, clutching his injured shoulder, and said, "Father-in-law, this is no longer the place for us. Let's go!" He was too lazy to explain what had happened.

Su Zinong had already gone over to check on Huang Chenghe's injuries.

Xinyangzi was a carefree person, and upon hearing Huang Chenghe's words, he waved and prepared to leave without saying a word.

Just then, someone called out from behind, "Sect Leader, please wait!" It was Zheng Chuntai, the Sect Leader of Tianchang Mountain, who had arrived.

"Sect Leader Xinyangzi, please wait. I think there must be some misunderstanding here. Why don't we sit down and talk it out to avoid deepening the misunderstanding and making it difficult to meet again in the future? If my son is at fault, I will punish him severely," Zheng Chuntai said solemnly.

It turned out that some disciples of Tianchang Mountain had already seen Zheng Changtian and Huang Chenghe arguing and quickly returned to report to the sect leader.

Zheng Chuntai realized the danger; the magic array wasn't even finished yet, and a conflict with the opponent would likely ruin everything, rendering all his efforts futile. He immediately unleashed his full power through his movement technique. With his late-stage eight-star cultivation, he arrived in a flash.

"Sect Leader Zheng, I know my son-in-law very well. Although he is easygoing, he is very popular and never intentionally offends anyone. I'm afraid there is no misunderstanding in this matter. If there is, it is Young Master Zheng who has misunderstood!" Xinyangzi stood firmly, showing no fear in the face of the other party's powerful influence.

Zheng Chuntai's face darkened, but he quickly turned his anger into a smile and said, "What Sect Leader Xinyangzi said makes sense. I will immediately take my son back for a thorough interrogation. If he is wrong, I will punish him severely and make him apologize to you and Young Master Huang Chenghe. Please, Sect Leader, be patient!"

Seeing this, Su Zinong didn't want the situation to escalate too much, lest they immediately turn on each other with swords drawn on someone else's turf, putting his side in danger. He figured it was better to appease them for now and settle scores later. So he walked over and gave Xinyangzi a meaningful look.

Xinyangzi knew what Su Zinong meant, so he snorted and did not leave immediately. Instead, he pulled Su Zinong over to check on Huang Chenghe's injuries.

Zheng Chuntai took Zheng Changtian back to his residence on the mountaintop to inquire about what had happened. Although Zheng Changtian concealed some details, he did not dare to fabricate all the main facts.

Zheng Chuntai already knew about Qin Xiangxue's situation. Although Zheng Changtian's words contained many inaccuracies, he could roughly deduce what had happened.

He solemnly criticized Zheng Changtian, saying, "As my eldest son and one of the most likely successors of Tianchang Mountain, you can't even control yourself like this? How will you handle important matters in the future? You can hate him, you can hold a grudge, you can even destroy them, but not now! The grand formation of Tianchang Mountain is about to be completed. Everything will be planned slowly after the formation is set up and officially put into use. Do you understand?"

Zheng Changtian gritted his teeth and could only nod, saying, "I understand!"

“A true man can bend and stretch. Apologize to them later, whether it’s sincere or not. Make sure to de-escalate this matter and wait until the formation is completed. If the formation fails because of this, the sect elders will hold you accountable in the future, and you can forget about becoming the sect leader!” Zheng Chuntai reminded him.

"I understand," Zheng Changtian said, a bead of sweat sliding down his forehead.

Unlike aristocratic families, sect positions are not passed down from father to son. Instead, the sect leader or elders recommend candidates, and the appointment is subject to a vote by all the elders. If Zheng Changtian were to commit a serious mistake that affects the sect, his future path to becoming the sect leader would become extremely difficult.

Zheng Chuntai arrived with Zheng Changtian, bringing three healing elixirs from Tianchang Mountain, the Hundred-Turn Male Ginseng Pill, and five Heavenly Spirit Stones—a truly generous gift.

"Young Master Huang, I was confused for a moment and misunderstood you. After returning, I realized it was all my fault. I have already apologized to Xiang Xue, and I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive me." Zheng Changtian bowed deeply, his posture was very standard and practiced.

Huang Chenghe waved his hand and said, "That's enough!" He knew that he and the people from Chaoxia Mountain would not get any benefit from being dependent on others here, so he had no choice but to settle things peacefully for now.

"Since the parties involved in the conflict have no objections, I will say nothing. However, if there are any reversals in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless. I will continue to work on the magic array, so please rest assured, Sect Leader Zheng!" Xinyangzi said calmly.

"Thank you for your trouble." Zheng Chuntai smiled broadly, like a boiled dog's head. He exchanged a few more pleasantries with Xinyangzi before leaving with Zheng Changtian.

After Su Zinong circulated his internal energy to regulate Huang Chenghe's body, most of the meridians in his shoulders were unblocked.

Su Zinong took the Hundred-Turn Ginseng Pill, cut off a small piece and put it in his mouth.

Only after half a day, when it was confirmed that there was no poison, was Huang Chenghe allowed to take it.

These pills were indeed remarkably effective; there was no need for three at all. After taking just one, there was an improvement, and Huang Chenghe's other meridians gradually became unblocked as well.

"Am I right?" Xinyangzi shook his head and said, "With this feng shui layout, people living on the mountaintop will have their horizons narrowed, and then they'll go insane. Let's finish this quickly and leave."

After Xinyangzi finished speaking, he sighed softly, feeling quite uneasy.

Bringing Su Zinong, Huang Chenghe, and Bai Xiaoyi along this time, I'm not sure if it was the right decision. I have a feeling that once the magic array is complete, leaving won't be so easy.

But what can we do now?

"I will not offend others unless they offend me," Xinyangzi said after a while. "If they offend me, I can only act on behalf of Heaven. If I repay evil with good, how will I repay good? Therefore, it is only natural for us to seek revenge in the future, and Heaven cannot punish me!"

"It's only human nature, and Heaven can't blame us!" Su Zinong pondered this sentence repeatedly in his heart.

That's right! Since it's human nature, Heaven shouldn't blame us too much. Responding in kind isn't immoral; it's upholding the natural order. Even if you're trying to be a good person, you should still retaliate against bad people.

Seven days later, Xinyangzi quickly completed the entire magic array, setting the array eye in the very center, and placing a large precious jade provided by Tianchang Mountain inside the array eye.

"Zinong, although this formation is called the Four Symbols Formation, it also contains the Five Elements technique. Although earth does not appear in the pillars, the formation eye is made of earth, which is also the key to controlling the entire formation." As he spoke, he informed the disciples of Tianchang Mountain to guard all parts of the formation and the gate, as the formation was about to be tested.

Xinyangzi closed his eyes and meditated, channeling his inner energy to strike the center of the formation.

With a loud "boom," a beam of light shot into the sky, then dispersed and flew towards the Four Symbols Pillars. The Qi Wall barrier was in place, and the magic array began to operate.

Xinyangzi led his disciples from Chaoxia Mountain and Tianchang Mountain, placing several thin iron rods into the four-sided barrier. The iron rods were all cut in half, demonstrating the powerful magic array.

Zheng Chuntai was overjoyed, laughed heartily, and kept saying thank you!

As the group from Chaoxia Mountain packed their belongings and were about to bid farewell and head down the mountain, Zheng Chuntai's expression changed. He turned to Zheng Changtian and shouted, "Son, do you have anything to say to the people of Chaoxia Mountain?"

Zheng Changtian stepped forward and waved his hand. Suddenly, disciples of Tianchang Mountain surrounded Chaoxia Mountain, Su Zinong, Huang Chenghe, Bai Shaoyi, and others from all directions, wielding longswords.