Yu Yifeng noticed Xiao Chen"s strange expression and asked, "What"s wrong? The Thousand Feathers Sect has existed for countless millenniums. Have you heard of them, Junior Brother Xiao?"
Xiao Chen shook his head with a smile. "N-no!" Yet, he thought to himself, "It"s been several thousand years. Qianyu Nishang, oh, Qianyu Nishang. Don"t tell me that you left the Mystic Cyan Sect back then and had gone on to establish your own sect."
Yu Yifeng nodded and continued questioning Perfected Immortal Qing Chen. "Which date has they decided on?"
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen put down the feather in his hand. "Two months later, Widespread Wintriness Sect in Wu Province. Since your two Martial Uncles are still in isolation, I don"t plan on attending. I"ve just discussed this with all your Elders earlier; we plan on sending you to Widespread Wintriness Sect in two months" time."
Yu Yifeng saluted him. "Your disciple accepts your order!" Then, he asked, "How many sects are the Thousand Feathers Sect summoning this time? What is the reason?"
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen narrowed his eyes and his face took on a pensive look. Only after some time pa.s.sed that he slowly said, "The reason appears to be about the Soul-consuming Evil Flowers. Several days ago, they seemed to have traced the tracks of the Devil"s Practice..." Before he could finish his sentence, a shocked Luo Shangyan cried out, "Soul-consuming Evil Flower!"
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen knew the reason she was this worried was that Perfected Immortal Zi Xu had disappeared last year while investigating the flower. He immediately gave her a subtle nod, indicating for her to put her mind to ease for now, before continuing, "There"s another matter. Several days ago, we received news that the Widespread Wintriness Sect had apprehended a female Demon not long ago. The female Demon seemed to have something to do with the Devil"s Practice. The sects of the Orthodox Path are going to gather then. Yifeng, you"ll attend the meeting as a representative of the Jade Qing Sect. When the time comes, you must act with the utmost decorum."
Yu Yifeng saluted him. "Your disciple understands!"
Quite a few young disciples inside the hall cast him envious looks. This Senior Brother of theirs was the Sect Leader"s most favored disciple. If they could attend the meeting as a representative, how amazing would that be! What they didn"t know was that the large sects appeared to be working together yet were secretly trying to outwit one another. It was a tough challenge to socialize with members of such sects. Yu Yifeng had a deep Tao understanding that allowed him to shoulder this heavy burden. It wasn"t a burden that ordinary disciples could handle.
Right then, a middle-aged man stood up and saluted toward the front of the hall. "Sect Leader, this is no small matter. Shouldn"t we send a few more disciples?" Perfected Immortal Qing Chen gave a small nod. "Your words are reasonable, Junior Brother. Then let"s send another four disciples."
Instantly, the eyes of many young disciples lit up. Then, an elderly man stood up. "Senior Brother, I think we should send an Elder as well. The Thousand Feathers Sect is an Ancient Immortal Clan. I fear Yifeng and the rest can"t handle them."
He had just finished talking when another elderly man beside him laughed. "Old Zhou, don"t tell me that you haven"t put down your reluctance to leave the mortal world and that you want to go yourself. Who doesn"t know that the female disciples of the Thousand Feathers Sect are all as beautiful as flowers?"
The elderly man surnamed Zhou glared at him. "Bah! "Old Ding! You don"t speak nicely, do you? I"m just worried about Yifeng and the others!"
There was no malice in their words; both of them had merely gotten used to bantering. Now that they were displaying such a "childish" manner in front of so many disciples, the disciples couldn"t help laughing.
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen shook his head, smiling. "That"s enough. Please stop joking around, Junior Brothers..." His expression gradually turned solemn and his frown deepened. "I fear the Thousand Feathers Sect didn"t gather all sects just to investigate the Devil"s Practice. Could it be that they"re trying to exploit the sects..."
The Elders could tell that he was worried. In a flash, people stopped talking and silence fell over the hall. The mood became solemn. However, out of the blue, two voices came from outside the hall at the same time.
"Grandmaster! Junior Brother made a tear in my skirt!"
"Grandmaster! Senior Sister wiped mud on my face!"
Two children of both genders ran inside unsteadily. Both looked about ten years old. The boy"s entire face was smeared with mud while the girl"s lilac-colored skirt was torn in quite a few places.
Yu Yifeng felt an instant stab of headache after seeing these children bursting into the hall. He got up and yelled, "Hanxi! Ziling! Don"t make a scene here! Hurry up and leave!"
The children burst into tears after seeing him and ran over to him. They said in unison, "Master! You finally came back! Junior Brother/Senior Sister keeps bullying me!" They then hugged each of Yu Yifeng"s legs while staring at each other in anger.
"You"re the one who wiped mud on my face first!"
"It"s you who tugged on my skirt first!"
Yu Yifeng was incredulous. Many young disciples covered their mouths to hide their laughter. Perfected Immortal Qing Chen, who was seated in the central spot in the hall, coughed. "Hanxi! Ziling! Listen to your Master and go out for now!"
The children turned their heads to take a look around the hall. However, not only did they disobey the order, they even ran over to him. Seeing this, Perfected Immortal Qing Chen immediately placed his hand under his chin to protect his beard. The two child Taoists beside him also stepped forward to stop Hanxi and Ziling.
Xiao Chen was dumbfounded. So it was Brother Yifeng"s two kid disciples who had forced a magnificent Nascent Soul Realm expert as well as a Sect Leader to use two child Taoists as guards! Regardless of how many talented people emerge in the Jianghu each day, it seemed that Perfected Immortal Qing Chen didn"t lose to them in the slightest.
From the looks of things, the meeting was as good as over. Perfected Immortal Qing Chen had no choice but to say, "We"ll end the meeting here and continue on another day. Please return, Elders." He hastily shot Yu Yifeng a look. Only then did Yu Yifeng hurriedly ran over and caught the children, each in one arm. He then ran out of the hall.
Xiao Chen couldn"t help laughing. Just as he was about to excuse himself, Perfected Immortal Qing Chen stopped him. "Xiao Chen, come over." Xiao Chen nodded and walked over to him. "Do you have orders for me, Perfected Immortal?"
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen coughed once and plastered on an awkward smile. "Has my two Junior Brothers been well in the Human World? Yifeng said that they"re the ones who sent you to the Violet Manor."
Xiao Chen nodded. "Seniors Qing Feng and Zi Mo are both doing very well. They often mention you in our conversations."
"Zi Mo?" Perfected Immortal Qing Chen looked confused. Mu Chengxue, who hadn"t left the hall yet, laughed. "The Unfettered Senior uses the pseudonym "Zi Mo" in the Human World."
"I see..." Perfected Immortal Qing Chen nodded. He exhaled a sigh. "So Unfettered Junior Brother ultimately can"t let it go. I"ve sent Yifeng to invite him back many times, but he refused me each time. Sigh..."
Xiao Chen thought to himself that the old man Zi Mo often bantered with his disciples, to the point that it was a little ridiculous. It was difficult for him to a.s.sociate Zi Mo with a Senior and expert of the Violet Manor. He wondered what kind of past they shared but naturally, it wasn"t his place to ask.
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen chuckled. "Did you learn anything related to your grandfather in the past year?" Xiao Chen sighed. "Last year, Grandpa, Perfected Immortal Zi Xu, and Master Lingjue went off to investigate that Demonic Flower. Then they were never heard from again..."
"Sigh..." Perfected Immortal Qing Chen sighed. Luo Shangyan walked over and said, "Could it be that they were kidnapped by the demons that released those Devil Flowers?"
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen pondered this for a long time before replying, "It"s hard to say. But if they"re able to capture them three, the opponent surely isn"t simple. As far as I know, your Master has achieved the peak of the Core Forming Realm many years ago. Is that right?" Then, he looked at Xiao Chen. "Changfeng too. If it"s about martial arts alone, not even I can win over him."
Xiao Chen was well aware that his grandfather possessed unfathomable martial arts. Just who exactly had the ability to capture and imprison him along with Perfected Immortal Zi Xu and Master Lingjue?
Suddenly, he thought of someone: the demonic man named Feng You who came to the Three Pure Sect back then. No one could defeat him even though he was merely using puppets. Perhaps only someone like him had such an ability.
Right then, Yu Yifeng entered the hall. "Soul-consuming Evil Flower eats away at one"s soul. Could it have something to do with the Administration of Heaven?"
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen"s expression gradually became solemn. Xiao Chen asked, "What"s the Administration of Heaven?"
"It"s a spiritual organization and one of the three main forces of the Violet Manor," Mu Chengxue answered.
Currently, the known top-notch forces in the Violet Manor were the Administration of Heaven, the Spirit Silence Room, and the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. Together, they formed the Immortals" League.
"Administration of Heaven..." Perfected Immortal Qing Chen was silent for some time. Finally, he shook his head. "The Administration of Heaven is a deeply mysterious organization. No one knows how many years it had been around or even where it is. The only thing we know is that they trade in souls. If one is willing to hand over one"s soul to them after death, they will do something for the person while alive. However, they won"t take the initiative in killing and stealing souls. More importantly, what they need are the souls of cultivators. To them, the souls of ordinary people are completely useless."
Xiao Chen was deep in thought for a long time. Then, who exactly was the one who spread the Soul-consuming Evil Flowers? Where would the gathered souls be transported to? Where were his grandfather and the rest now? All these had turned into mysteries that couldn"t be unraveled. He said, "Perfected Immortal, I have a presumptuous request. I wish to go to the Widespread Wintriness Sect with Senior Brother Yifeng two months later."
On the one hand, he could see if there were any clues of the Soul-consuming Evil Flowers there. On the other hand, he wanted to see exactly what the Thousand Feathers Sect was and if it was truly established by the Qianyu Nishang. Luo Shangyan said, "I"m going too!"
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen nodded. "Sure. Then, three of you, please stay in the Jade Qing Sect for the time being. I"ll get Yifeng to handle the arrangements." Then, he smiled at Mu Chengxue. "Ms. Mu, you"ve been to the Jade Qing Sect once. You don"t have to restrain yourself."
Mu Chengxue nodded with a smile. From the looks of it, she had also decided on partic.i.p.ating in the Immortal"s Practice Conference two months later that the Thousand Feathers Sect called for. The group left the hall together. Outside, Xiao Chen chuckled and said, "Brother Yifeng, looks like your two little disciples really make you worry. How did you end up under your tutelage?"
Yu Yifeng shook his head with a smile. When he heard Xiao Chen mention his two little disciples, his smile gradually subsided. He sighed. "The Devil pract.i.tioners have been wreaking chaos everywhere they go, unleashing great torment on the common folk. I brought Hanxi and Ziling from the northern part of Qing State several years ago. Their parents were both killed by demons." Toward the end, his voice carried a deep hatred.
Xiao Chen, who could empathize with his feelings, didn"t continue asking. Back then, he was also like Yu Yifeng and swore to always go against the Devil"s Practice. He had vowed to cleanse the world of devils.
Later on, Yu Yifeng arranged for them three to become neighbors in the same courtyard. Here, they weren"t as restrained as they had been in the Teal Jade Sect. The people here were also a lot more easygoing. At night, Xiao Chen wanted to refine the Immortal-Binding Rope that he obtained from Ling Yuxuan into a magic treasure that he could use. Thus, he looked for Yu Yifeng and asked him if he knew any place suitable for him to concentrate on his cultivation.
He knew the Immortal"s Practice Conference two months later would undoubtedly be a gathering of experts. Since he was going with the Jade Qing Sect disciples, he had the responsibility not to bring shame to their sect.
He also told Yu Yifeng about Murong Xian"er and expressed his hope that the Jade Qing Sect help send someone to find her.