HSSB556: A bolt from the blue
Looking at Feng Yunsheng and Sikong Qing, Zhao Ming, Jing Yunzhi and the others all comforted, “Fortune will definitely favour Elder Fu.”
“The same thing that happened to the old Chief might just have happened to her and senior apprentice-brother Yan.”
The old Chief Yuan Zhengfeng had been lost amidst chaotic s.p.a.ce, his whereabouts unknown. While those of Broad Creed Mountain felt worried over that, this also provided them with rea.s.surance in some other matters.
For example, the disappearance of Yan Zhaoge and Fu Enshu had been conveyed within Broad Creed Mountain as the same thing having happened to them as Yuan Zhengfeng.
There were only their higher echelons as well as those like Feng Yunsheng and Yin Liuhua who had previously travelled alongside Fu Enshu who knew that their current fate was a complete mystery.
Saying that they had disappeared was more to rea.s.sure themselves.
By common logic, martial pract.i.tioners beneath the Martial Saint realm who had been swept within the seal would all have died without question.
Still, Feng Yunsheng’s gaze was firm as she nodded, “That’s right. Master and the others will definitely return safely.”
As they chatted, they suddenly saw an authoritative-looking middle-aged man walk over from the other end of the mountain path.
Seeing him, Feng Yunsheng and the others bowed in greeting.
“Greetings, senior apprentice-uncle Chang.”
“Greetings, Elder Chang.”
This authoritative-looking middle-aged man was precisely Broad Creed Mountain’s current Disciplinary Hall First Seat Elder, Chang Zheng.
Looking at them, Chang Zheng said, “It’s getting rather late. You should go back to rest.”
While his tone was very casual, carrying no rebuke at all, everyone said upon hearing his words, “It should only be so, Elder.”
Looking at Feng Yunsheng, Chang Zheng said, “There are only a hundred days left before the Seventh Extreme Yin Bout. Over this period of time, you and junior apprentice-niece Yin should remain in the Mountain and not venture outside, cultivating earnestly in preparation.”
Feng Yunsheng said, “Yes, senior apprentice-uncle Chang. This disciple understands.”
Chang Zheng continued, “With Chief remaining over the East Sea and the whereabouts of junior apprentice-sister Fu and Zhaoge currently both unknown, the two of you cannot grow lax in your cultivation of Extreme Yin power.”
“Junior apprentice-niece Yin after all having entered the clan later than you, her cultivation base being rather low as well, the progression that junior apprentice-sister Feng and Zhaoge concluded previously needs to be gathered and brought to a conclusion by you. Have you finished with that?”
Feng Yunsheng answered, “I have. I handed it over to senior apprentice-aunt w.a.n.g.”
Chang Zheng nodded, “Junior apprentice-sister w.a.n.g is temporarily guiding you only in your daily martial cultivation. She is also coming to work with grooming Extreme Yin power for the first time. With it being very close to the Seventh Extreme Yin Bout, it will mainly be relying on both of your hard work this time.”
Feng Yunsheng bowed, “You can rest a.s.sured, senior apprentice-uncle. This disciple understands.”
Chang Zheng said, “Alright. You should head back to rest earlier.”
After Feng Yunsheng and the others had bowed to and taken their leave of Chang Zheng, they all returned to their various lodgings. Looking at Feng Yunsheng’s departing figure, Chang Zheng fell into deep thought.
Now, a Broad Creed Mountain disciple came over to find Chang Zheng who frowned slightly at his somewhat panicked expression, “You should calm your heart when encountering matters. What is it?”
While he had been rebuked, the panic on the face of this Broad Creed Mountain disciple did not diminish in the least.
After hearing the report, a look of surprise surfaced within Chang Zheng’s eyes as well, “There was something like this?”
He composed himself, pondering as he said, “Do not spread the word. Bring that person over to the Disciplinary Hall to see me.”
After that disciple had left, Chang Zheng stood unmoving where he was for a long time, an indistinct voice resounding in mid-air, “Could this be the will of Heaven…”
Feng Yunsheng returned to her lodgings, getting into the meditative position and quietly cultivating.
Her heart slightly jolted. Taking out her accompanying Shadow Shrinking Pouch and looking within, she instantly frowned.
As some crystalline fragments fell out from within her Shadow Shrinking Pouch, Feng Yunsheng was bewildered, “Why did it suddenly shatter? It seems to have been stimulated by some external force.”
Those crystalline fragments were like weathered sand as they unceasingly broke apart within Feng Yunsheng’s palm, finally turning into a fine powder which dissipated in mid-air.
Feng Yunsheng attempted to preserve it with her aura-qi but to no avail.
This was something that resembled a spirit orb which she had inadvertently obtained in the East Sea after the seal had been formed, when all had been chaotic and she had been drifting along solitarily.
Despite having a.n.a.lysed it for a while, Feng Yunsheng had not been able to understand its use at all.
Nothing had been stored within the orb, and it had not contained spirituality at all. It had also not been any dangerous.
After having a.n.a.lysed it, Feng Yunsheng had only felt that this object seemed like the accompanying object to some special treasure. Not having been able to gain anything from this, she had merely kept it within her Shadow Shrinking Pouch and brought it along with her.
Nothing had happened with it previously, but who knew that this would suddenly have happened today.
The orb having broken apart and been reduced to dust, not leaving any traces behind, Feng Yunsheng vaguely felt it to be rather strange, yet could not understand at all what it might mean.
The next morning, Feng Yunsheng opened the door, welcoming the bright morning sunlight as she walked out.
As she was about to call Yin Liuhua up, someone instead came looking for her.
Seeing that it was an Elder of the Disciplinary Hall who had come in person, Feng Yunsheng could not help but feel slightly bemused as she asked what was going on. The other party only said that he was asking her over to the Disciplinary Hall by the order of their First Seat, Chang Zheng.
Arriving in the Disciplinary Hall, Feng Yunsheng saw that apart from Chang Zheng, the Grand Elder Zhang Kun was actually in the great hall as well.
With successive major tribulations having descended and great loss having come to Broad Creed Mountain, it was currently the Grand Elders Zhang Kun and He Ning who held the highest positions and cultivation bases in the Mountain.
Having been injured in the battle of the East Sea, He Ning was currently recuperating from her wounds in secluded cultivation. Meanwhile, spending most of his time helping to treat the injuries of the heavily injured and comatose Fang Zhun, Elder Zhang would not make an appearance lightly.
With him actually having appeared in the Disciplinary Hall now, it was for certain that some extremely important thing was going to happen.
Feng Yunsheng bowed towards Chang Zheng and Zhang Kun. Chang Zheng said nothing, just indicating for her to wait by the side.
After a short while, yet another Elder arrived. It was Elder Qin, the East Elder whom Feng Yunsheng had met once before.
Currently, with a great many of Broad Creed Mountain’s longtime Elders having perished in battle, Elder Qin was already one of their few remaining top-tier experts.
After Yan Di had become Chief, another Elder had taken on his role as the First Seat of the Martial Inheritance Hall. However, this Elder had perished during the great battle of the Earth Domain.
Elder Qin had returned to the clan this time to a.s.sume the role of the First Seat of the Martial Inheritance Hall.
After everyone had been gathered, looking at Feng Yunsheng, Chang Zheng asked slowly, “Junior apprentice-sister Feng, in having asked you here this time, we want you to explain again regarding the previous events over the East Sea in which junior apprentice-sister Fu and the two of you were attacked.”
While feeling it to be rather strange, Feng Yunsheng still replied, “That day, I was travelling alongside Master and junior apprentice-sister Yin. Flame Devils were rampaging about the Outer East Sea with a great battle raging on between our two sides. With Chief and the others soon to fully establish the seal, the situation was even more chaotic.”
“As we were clas.h.i.+ng with the Flame Devils, the Grand Elder of the Sacred Sun Clan, Meng Feng, suddenly appeared. From what he said, it sounded like it wasn’t a coincidence at all. Instead, he had specifically launched a sneak attack on us after having confirmed our location.”
“I was separated from Master and junior apprentice-sister Yin. As the frenzied tides caused by the seal swept towards the surrounding area, I tried to avoid them. Afterwards, I only heard from other disciples of our clan that they had witnessed from far away Master and Meng Feng having been swept within the power of the seal together, vanis.h.i.+ng without a trace.”
“Afterwards, an Elder of our clan found me and junior apprentice-sister Yin and brought us back to the Mountain.”
After having heard Feng Yunsheng out, Chang Zheng looked at her, only asking after a while, “You too feel that it isn’t a coincidence? How do you think the Sacred Sun Clan pinpointed your location then?”
Feng Yunsheng felt that something seemed to be wrong as she saw Chang Zheng, Zhang Kun and Elder Qin all staring at her.
“Senior apprentice-uncle Chang, you seem to be implying something,” Feng Yunsheng inhaled deeply, “I feel that it wasn’t a coincidence because the Sacred Sun Clan’s Meng Feng said ‘You’re indeed here, let’s see where you can run to’. From this, I deduced that he had known our location.”
“However, this disciple does not know how he came to know of it.”
Looking calmly at her, Chang Zheng asked mildly, “Is that so? However, a solitary pract.i.tioner who is well acquainted with our clan is now testifying that it was you who leaked news of junior apprentice-sister Fu’s location.”