The Long family was like this, and so was the Huyuan family. In fact, all Four Great Millennium Families shared the custom of sounding the bell; it was a tradition left over from the past, and even with more modern tools available now, the ringing of the bell remained their method of notification. The number of times the bell tolled varied little among the Four Great Families. Generally speaking, six tolls or fewer signified minor matters, mostly procedural—for example, ringing the bell six times during the New Year to offer congratulations, or three times for the Mid-Autumn Festival; major joyous occasions also warranted three to six tolls as felicitations. Exceeding six tolls meant it was no longer a small matter, nor was it a mere formality. Seven bell tolls indicated a significant upheaval or unexpected accident within the family. The last time the great bell of the Huyuan family sounded seven times was when the corpses of Huyuan Xin and Huyuan Peng were brought back, signaling profound grief. Eight tolls, within the Huyuan family, signified an external enemy invasion, requiring the entire clan to unite and resist together. As for nine tolls, it meant the family faced a crisis of survival—an extremely severe situation. Upon the sound of nine tolls, regardless of what one was doing, everyone had to drop their tasks and contribute every ounce of their strength to the family. As for ten tolls, the Huyuan family had never sounded the great bell ten times. Ten tolls were the death knell; sounding the great bell ten times meant the family was annihilated. This sound could only be struck once, and would only ever occur once.

At the sound of nine tolls, Huyuan Fu could no longer afford to press Long Feng for answers and bolted out in hurried steps. Long Feng hesitated briefly, but he followed anyway. He had an instinct that the massive bell tolling at the Huyuan residence was connected to Zhang Yang; he had to follow to see what was happening, as he was searching for Zhang Yang. More and more people poured out of the Huyuan compound—inner energy practitioners from the direct lineage, as well as mere servants—all exhibiting sheer panic. Never mind nine tolls, the Huyuan family hadn't seen eight tolls in several centuries. The sudden sound of nine tolls threw everyone into utter turmoil; they had no idea what catastrophe had struck.

At the center of the Huyuan compound was a Martial Arts Training Platform. As a family steeped in inner energy cultivation, a training platform was indispensable for disciples to spar and aid their progress. However, the Huyuan family’s platform was significantly inferior to that of the Long family. Their platform was small, surrounded by an even smaller area; it looked like a makeshift stage erected in a courtyard. Compared to the Long family’s vast and open training ground, this place seemed rather shabby. It was no wonder the Huyuan family harbored such jealousy toward the Long family; in terms of both hardware and software, they simply couldn't compete.

On the presiding platform of the training ground, four figures stood. The Great Elder of the family, Huyuan Ming, a practitioner at the mid-fourth layer of inner energy, wore an expression of extreme gravity. Opposite him stood the current patriarch of the Huyuan family, Huyuan Baisheng. Seated between the two was a disheveled old man. The old man’s appearance was truly wretched: covered head to toe in bloodstains, his hair scorched black, making his features almost unrecognizable. He was missing an arm, and his entire body was caked in mud. Judging purely by appearance, even a beggar on the street would look better off. The Great Elder and the Patriarch stood beside this old man, both bearing an air of deep sorrow. “Ancestor, everyone is gathered!” Glancing around, Huyuan Baisheng slightly bowed and spoke softly. This wretched old man was Huyuan Feng, who had managed to escape back. That he survived the assault of a fifth-layer spirit beast could only be attributed to sheer luck, but the price he paid was immense. Two fireballs pursuing him had chased him for hundreds of miles. Finally, by forcefully circulating his energy, enduring further catastrophic damage to his physical body, and destroying his divine weapon, he managed to barely ward off one fireball. The other, he had resisted by utilizing a geographical advantage. With his internal energy almost entirely depleted and one arm shattered, he had finally blocked the second fireball. The two fireballs had cost him more than half his life and utterly ravaged his body. Now, even consuming a Spirit Sustaining Pill would be futile; his lifespan would not exceed one year. The cost of this encounter could truly be called the sacrifice of his life.

“They are all here!” Huyuan Feng raised his head and spoke calmly. Upon his return, he had already understood that Zhang Yang had indeed fled toward Mount Yinlong. But he had only guessed the beginning, while completely miscalculating everything that followed. Zhang Yang went to Mount Yinlong not to seek death or lure him there; it was because Zhang Yang already had a connection with the spirit beasts of Mount Yinlong. Just as the Hua family had a connection with the spirit beast in the Heavenly Pond, Zhang Yang was going there to summon aid. Pitifully, he had chased after him like a fool, only to deliver himself to death. Once he understood, it was already too late. If he had known this would happen, he could have damaged his body beforehand to catch and kill Zhang Yang, or perhaps he shouldn't have pursued him at all, thus avoiding this disaster. But there is no medicine for regret in this world; even as a powerhouse at the Great Perfection realm, he could only now accept the outcome with dejection.

“Ancestor!” The Great Elder, Huyuan Ming, called out again. Huyuan Feng extended his remaining hand and gestured to him. Only upon extending this hand did everyone notice that this hand was also missing three fingers. “Ming’er, I told you to be more diligent, yet you weren't. You are still only at the mid-fourth layer. If you cannot achieve a breakthrough within eight months, our Huyuan family will have to endure the same suffering we experienced seven hundred years ago!” Huyuan Feng directed this statement to the Great Elder. Seven hundred years ago, the Guardian of the Huyuan family was lost, after which the family relocated, finally settling on this platform atop Mount Bawang. The reason they chose this place initially was for its harsh environment; back then, no one would have imagined they would move here. After the family gained a new Guardian, they realized the environment here was also beneficial for disciples' cultivation, so they developed it fully and have kept it unchanged until now. But only until now; they would soon have to make new changes.

“Ancestor, I was wrong!” Huyuan Ming lowered his head, tears still glistening in his eyes, displaying an appearance of deep remorse. The assembled Huyuan disciples below were stunned. Except for a few at the third layer who knew about the existence of the Guardian, all the others were unaware. They kept this knowledge from the masses to prevent dependency, the fear that having a family Guardian meant they had no need to worry. Furthermore, revealing it offered no benefit; all the great families chose to keep this matter secret. The ordinary disciples would not learn of the Guardian's existence unless absolutely necessary. Seeing the usually highest-ranking Great Elder admitting his fault to this wretched old man like a child, they were rendered speechless, and the mysterious old man's identity sparked intense curiosity among them.

“Who is it?” Huyuan Feng suddenly roared, extending a hand to flick a tiny stream of energy which exploded near the main gate with a tremendous boom. Long Feng slowly emerged from behind the door. He had followed them, but he had not entered, remaining outside the threshold. “Long family disciple Long Feng pays respects to the seniors!” Long Feng bowed deeply. He, too, was utterly shocked. He knew Huyuan Ming and was aware of his status—one of the strongest figures he had once envied. Such a powerful figure standing deferentially beside others made the identity of the wretched old man almost self-evident; only the Guardian of the Long family, one at the Great Perfection of the fourth layer, could command such reverence from Huyuan Ming. However, Long Feng could not comprehend who could wound a Guardian, a pinnacle of human cultivation, so severely. A heavily injured Guardian was an earth-shattering event for any family, justifying the nine bell tolls.

“A man from the Long family, what are you doing here?” Huyuan Feng demanded again. “This junior has come to find someone!” Long Feng replied softly. Huyuan Fu quickly stepped forward and explained Long Feng’s purpose. Upon hearing he was looking for Zhang Yang, many in the Long family glared at him; Zhang Yang was now a forbidden name among the Huyuan clan. Huyuan Feng stared at Long Feng for a moment before suddenly declaring, “Baisheng, escort our guest out. See the Long family member beyond the boundaries of Mount Tianshan!” “Yes!” Huyuan Baisheng nodded quickly but did not go himself. Instead, he assigned another disciple at the mid-third layer to escort him. He knew clearly that the Ancestor must have extremely important arrangements to make, and he could not leave at this moment. He also understood that these critical arrangements could not be known by outsiders. Long Feng was a Long family disciple, and an important young one at that. The Huyuan family was facing a major crisis, so they could not afford to thoroughly offend the Long family at this juncture; they could only send Long Feng back. Indeed, if Long Feng’s identity hadn't been so sensitive—if he were merely Zhang Yang’s friend—Huyuan Feng would have unhesitatingly executed him.

Helpless, Long Feng could only leave. He remained ignorant of the major affairs that were about to unfold in the Huyuan family. He did not know that later that afternoon, hundreds of servants began evacuating, taking their personal belongings and departing. Many who had lived their entire lives atop Mount Bawang left in a daze, carrying only a few items, following Patriarch Huyuan Baisheng and a contingent of inner energy practitioners toward a place utterly unknown to them. By nightfall, the ones moving were the dozens of the Huyuan family’s most elite direct descendants, all possessing inner energy, most of them above the second layer. The direction of their departure was distinctly different from before.

The Huyuan family was relocating. Huyuan Feng knew well that without him, the other great families would not let this rich morsel go. Their external formations were formidable, but they could not withstand the attack of a Guardian. Since they had to leave, they must leave early and completely. He knew he could hold on for a while longer, but he feared Zhang Pinglu might launch an attack, and in his current state, he was absolutely no match for Zhang Pinglu. And given Zhang Pinglu's nature, upon learning he had pursued Zhang Yang for a thousand li, he certainly would not let the matter rest. He had deliberately expended his power to rush back quickly to make these preparations; the relocation had to be prompt. Over these past few centuries, the Huyuan family had scouted other locations. They had secretly constructed several places, reserves for just such a need, and now those places were finally being utilized. Relocating to two distinct places was also a means of protecting the family. The location where Huyuan Baisheng was stationed was merely a decoy; the true future of the family lay elsewhere, which would become the new headquarters. If Huyuan Feng perished, and the Huyuan family failed to produce a new Guardian, then the Huyuan family would never appear before other cultivators unless a new Guardian emerged.

Happy Valentine's Day to all friends.