Jiang Lu held the storage bag her master had given her as she followed her senior sisters out of the hall. Inside were all the congratulatory gifts given to her by the various factions.
As for the rest, she would leave it to her master to handle.
She really wanted to go back and see what good things were inside. After all, given her master's status, they certainly wouldn't be too shabby.
No wonder so many people fought tooth and nail to join powerful factions!
If she hadn't taken a master, how could she have such rich resources in her hands now? She would probably still be looking for scraps somewhere.
But...
Hehe, actually, she was pretty wealthy just from picking up scraps.
In her moment of self-satisfaction, she saw Fu Yao and the others slowly walking toward her.
Fu Yao's expression was somewhat gloomy, while Liu Qingqing had a trace of schadenfreude on her face.
As for Lu Lingfeng and Xi Siyu, they looked at Liu Qingqing with slight worry, hoping she wouldn't say anything she shouldn't.
She guiltily put away her storage bag and looked at Qin Yan'er with a pleading expression.
Senior Sister Qin, help me!
Jiang Lu stood up and shifted her feet to hide behind Qin Yan'er.
Seeing her subtle movements, Fu Yao grabbed Jiang Lu's hand and asked through gritted teeth, with a hint of reluctance:
“Junior Sister Jiang, out with it. What's going on?”
How frustrating!
Such an agreeable little junior sister had actually been snatched away first by the Medicine King Pavilion!
“Senior Sister Fu Yao, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.”
Seeing this, Jiang Lu immediately admitted her mistake.
She was indeed the one in the wrong in this matter.
Seeing Jiang Lu's pitiful appearance, Fu Yao sighed. Since their master already knew, this wasn't a major issue.
Given the relationship between their master and Elder Ye, Junior Sister Jiang would still be like a junior sister to her in the future.
It was just that...
“Jiang Lu~ Back then, you told us your name was Jiang Ye~”
Fu Yao narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of danger in her expression.
Jiang Lu: Oh no, I forgot about that...
“Senior Sister, have you ever heard a saying?”
Jiang Lu's eyes darted around. She put her hands behind her back, putting on a show of profound wisdom.
Seeing this, the others laughed secretly to themselves. Her posturing was incredibly amusing.
“What saying?” Qin Yan'er immediately chimed in, her tone slightly curious.
Jiang Lu raised her chin slightly and winked at them. Under everyone's gaze, she parted her lips and said, “Of course it's: 'When traveling abroad, your identity is whatever you make it!'”
Pfft!
Hearing this, Qin Yan'er burst into laughter and teased:
“Junior Sister Jiang, if your master heard that, you'd definitely be sent to the Library to copy books a few times.”
Liu Qingqing immediately chimed in as well, “That's right, Junior Sister Jiang. You can't do this in the future. It's fine to lie to us, but if you meet others...”
She looked worried, but her tone sounded somewhat grating no matter how one heard it.
Jiang Lu gave a soft snort. She was sharing her valuable experience with them; if they didn't want to listen, so be it.
Who asked them to brag about being disciples of a powerful faction anyway? Operating under the guise of an anonymous rogue cultivator made doing secret things much more convenient.
But since they didn't believe her, she would drop it.
“Senior Sister Fu, please don't be mad at me.”
Seeing Fu Yao's brow relax, Jiang Lu hugged her arm and looked at her pitifully.
Fu Yao: ...
What else could she do?
Forgive her, of course.
The group chatted for a bit longer before finally parting ways.
“Congratulations, Pavilion Master Ye! The Medicine King Pavilion has gained another top talent!”
“Congratulations, Elder Ye! Your disciple's talent is outstanding. You've finally found someone to inherit your legacy!”
“Elder Ye, this sudden move of yours really caught us off guard!”
“...”
The representatives of various factions immediately rushed over to offer their congratulations to the two.
Ye Qing disliked such occasions, but since he was happy today, he helped Ye Qingluan deal with them.
However, he keenly sensed an unusual air of tension coming from the Sect Master of the Shangyang Sect not far away.
He quietly exchanged a glance with his senior sister.
After everyone else had departed, the three Sect Masters remained in the pavilion.
Ye Qingluan sat on the main seat, while the three Sect Masters and Ye Qing took their seats on either side.
She took the initiative to ask, “Sect Master Yu, now that everyone has left, is there something troubling you that was difficult to speak of earlier?”
He looked worried as his gaze swept from Ye Qingluan to the other three, before finally letting out a long sigh.
“I cannot be certain of the truth of this matter yet; it still requires further investigation.
“Regarding the previous demon beast incident in the Illusionary Forest, after receiving the news, our elders went deeper inside to investigate. They discovered signs of human intervention.
“Deep within, there might be a magical beast of Tier Seven or above attempting to invade human territory.
“Our people executed that magical beast, but quite a few human demonic cultivators managed to escape. Although their cultivation is not high, they must not be allowed to remain.”
Hearing this, the others looked puzzled. If they escaped, they escaped—they could just pursue and execute them. Why would this cause him such difficulty?
“Sigh~”
He sighed deeply, his eyes filled with endless worry.
“That is precisely where the problem lies. During the pursuit, they somehow managed to open a passage to the mortal realm and fled there.”
“What!”
“The mortal realm!”
The four people present were pale with shock at these words.
The mortal realm!
A place where cultivators were forbidden to tread!
Whether they were cultivators or demon beasts, as long as they entered the mortal realm, their strength would be severely suppressed.
Some might even be turned to ashes instantly.
This was to maintain the balance between the two sides. As a result, the passages had been closed, and living beings from the cultivation world rarely went there.
Furthermore, the mortal realm had no spiritual energy. If creatures from the cultivation world entered, they would be suppressed by its Heavenly Dao. Without the nourishment of spiritual energy, the spiritual energy in their bodies would gradually dissipate, and they would eventually become ordinary mortals or beasts.
“Those demonic cultivators do not walk an orthodox path. I worry that once they arrive there, they will feed on mortals to sustain themselves. If that happens, we might also be tainted by the karma.”
After he finished speaking, the others lowered their heads in deep thought.
A trace of coldness appeared on Ye Qingluan's serene face as she looked at him.
“Who else knows about this?”
Sect Master Yu shook his head and replied,
“Aside from the elders who witnessed it firsthand, only the few of us here know.”
“We must arrange for cultivators to go to the mortal realm. Even if those demonic cultivators have only a sliver of hope of survival, we must eradicate them completely.”
Ye Qingluan slapped the table and said in a heavy voice.
“I agree with Pavilion Master Ye. We must not let this news spread. However, who would be suitable to go now?”
Sect Master Shi also nodded immediately.
“Leaving aside the fact that the chosen disciple must be someone we trust completely, they must also possess a certain level of strength. Most importantly, they must be able to survive in the mortal realm and find a way back.”
Sect Master Xie also chimed in, though his tone was filled with hesitation.
After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent. This was indeed the most difficult part.
Who would be suitable to send?
Would any cultivator be willing to go?
And if they were willing, would they betray them?
“There are quite a few cultivators in the cultivation world who came from the mortal realm. Can we find someone among them who meets the requirements to go?”
Shi Yan fell silent for a moment before speaking tentatively.
“No, that will not do.”
Xie Yu shook his head and looked at him with a sigh of regret, saying:
“Sect Master Shi, those cultivators fought so hard to find a path to the cultivation world. Why would they easily go back? Especially when there is no guarantee they can return.”
Rate on N.U.
