Green Pond Sect.
Clouds surged and mist gathered atop Green Pond Peak. Within the mountain's cave mansion, a haze of azure Qi swirled. In the center stood a great bell of dark gold, patterned with intricate designs—rung only when a Perfected Person fell or a Sect Leader ascended.
Chi Zhiyun hurriedly landed upon the peak, trailed by several Foundation Establishnt cultivators. No sooner had he stopped than a tall young man stepped forward, cupping his fists and saying:
"Sect Leader Senior Brother!"
"Hejing."
Chi Zhiyun waved his hand anxiously, not pausing for an instant. In two strides he entered the stone cave, asking:
"How is it!"
"The fire burns weakly, turning bright white. The lamp oil rises, nine lines darken and shine again. Never before have we seen such a scene."
Ning Hejing's voice was grim; the more Chi Zhiyun listened, the darker his face grew, and he said in a low and gloomy tone:
"Bright white…How could that be!"
He waved off those around him and strode two steps deeper into the cave mansion. Atop a lotus-carved wooden base sat several Soul Lamps, burning quietly.
Their stands were made of Soul-Listening Mulberry Wood, able to sense fortune and calamity, impervious to the five elents, fearing only thunderbolt. The lamp oil was crafted from Nine-Refined Essence Spirit: once a great treasure, but in this era, not so rare anymore.
Chi Zhiyun stared closely—sure enough, Perfected Person Buzi's lamp fla had shrunk by half a circle, and its color had shifted from pale grey to bright white, the patterns on the base alternating between light and shadow.
Within the cave were only Chi Zhiyun and Ning Hejing, both with sullen faces. Ning Hejing's voice was low as he said,
"I've already made inquiries. Perfected Person left the sect earlier and gave no ssage."
Chi Buzi was Chi Zhiyun's great-grandfather. The Chi Zhiyun line was the mother clan of Ning Hejing's—growing up together, interests tightly entwined, their bond akin to blood brothers.
As soon as Chi Zhiyun beca Sect Leader, Ning Hejing imdiately beca Master of Yuanxing Peak—his authority unrivaled in the sect. Now that sothing happened to Chi Buzi, naturally his expression soured.
"Do Perfected Person Yuanwu and Perfected Person Yuanxiu know of this?!"
Chi Zhiyun blurted out, but Ning Hejing only shook his head and answered,
"Rest assured, cousin. I locked down the news imdiately. The two disciples guarding here are of our own, they won't leak a word. As of now, only Yuan Su Perfected Person knows."
"Good."
Chi Zhiyun gave a word of praise and then, in a low tone, speculated:
"The Devil Cultivators are already roaming everywhere. Without the 'Elder by the Stream,' it's hard to ensnare them. Xiao Chuting is trapped in the East Sea. Our Perfected Person must be searching for him."
Chi Zhiyun drumd his fingers on the table in agitation, his voice low and heavy:
"Could it be Zhang Tianyuan? What madness has the Jin Yu Sect caught! Aren't they afraid of ruining everything!"
"That's not necessarily true!"
A clear voice echoed in the cave mansion. Chi Zhiyun and Ning Hejing both relaxed, respectfully stepping aside:
"We welco Perfected Person."
Yuan Su Perfected Person was likewise dressed in blue, but his Taoist robe was even looser. Around his waist hung a small, white seal. His face was sowhat round, and he spoke softly:
"Zhang Qiushui of Jin Yu Sect has already mastered the life-divine skill 'Moistened Refinent'—he too can stir up the Devil Cultivators. It's just that he handles them not as deftly as the Elder by the Stream or Ru Zhongzhuo."
"A Perfected Person's matters are of utmost importance. There's no way everything would be left to just the three of us."
Chi Zhiyun and Ning Hejing bowed their heads respectfully. Yuan Su Perfected Person then said again:
"But with fewer than five or six Zifu, there's no way they could detain Buzi. Zhang Tianyuan couldn't arrange such a formation—at best, he could make Buzi suffer a little."
Yuan Su Perfected Person, for his part, was entirely unconcerned, speaking with a cheerful smile:
"Buzi's temperant is just like my senior brother's in his lifeti. Now he's even broken through to mid-stage Zifu—in decades, he's beco high-minded and arrogant, greedy by nature…Though sharp with calculations, it's rare for him to suffer. Let him be at a disadvantage this once—it's nothing!"
How could Chi Zhiyun and Ning Hejing dare interrupt? They could only pretend not to hear, withdrawing like quails. After so ti, they finally said:
"Might Perfected Person not calculate a bit…"
Only Yuan Su Perfected Person was gentle enough for the two to make such a request. Yuan Su curled his lips and replied,
"He's a cautious man. He erases all traces in the Great Void, and his cultivation is high. I am a Divine Skill Zifu, not a Fortune Maha—on what basis should I divine?"
He shook his head and joked:
"If he dies and his divine skills dissipate—then, perhaps, I can calculate sothing."
Chi Zhiyun and Ning Hejing exchanged looks, evidently unamused. Yuan Su shrugged, reached out to hook the air before him, and stepped into the Great Void. His voice still lingered faintly:
"Most likely, he was ambushed rescuing Xiao Chuting in the East Sea. I'll make a trip to the East Sea."
...
Lu Jiangxian's divine sense was even more terrifying than imagined. As soon as it smashed into the Sea of Consciousness, Chi Buzi's soul was thrown into utter chaos. Though a scion of the Immortal Sect, well-versed and knowledgeable, Chi Buzi instantly realized he'd provoked a powerful cultivator.
In that mont, spiritual sense stirred, as if employing so secret technique, gathering tightly as he called out:
"I am a disciple under Lord Fuyu of Lushui's noon branch. May I know which senior is present? If I have offended, I beg your pardon!"
Chi Buzi, a wily old fox of several centuries, was not frightened by Lu Jiangxian's overwhelming aura. He quickly sized him up and saw he was outwardly imposing but inwardly frail. If not for his deep foundation, Chi Buzi would truly have little to fear.
So he greeted politely while scheming inside:
'This old wretch looks like an ancient cultivator fallen to utter ruin… If I can kill him, the gain would surely elevate from fish to dragon.'
But Lu Jiangxian said nothing, his divine sense sweeping through like a tornado. Though Chi Buzi's spiritual sense was weaker, he had advantage in volu, resisting stubbornly as he shouted again:
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