Fei Bai Mu didn't even need to say anything. The other sects whose disciples had been imprisoned already started to whisper in agreement with Zhangsun Xun Yi. Yes, from their perspective, things looked pretty much the same.
One of the Elders stepped out and raised his chin toward Xian Xun. "Sect Master Xian, what Grandmaster Zhangsun is saying rings true. If it was only the Yun Zou Sect, then I could understand where you are coming from. But let's not forget that this isn't just a single incident. You suspect several disciples of the Yun Zou Sect to be affiliated with the demon race. Not just that, you also suspect that several disciples of other sects of the same thing. According to you, it seems that all of the righteous cultivation world is infiltrated by demons!"
Xian Xun furrowed his brows. "What are you trying to say? Just by looking at them, it is often hard to tell the difference for those who aren't used to dealing with them. Naturally, you wouldn't always be able to tell if the ones you took in were actually demons or not. Especially if they weren't full-blooded demons. We are merely trying to help you. Why is it that everybody is trying to paint us in a bad light now? Are you sure that you have nothing to hide?"
Fei Bai Mu sighed. Honestly, she hadn't expected the Chun Feng Sect to see reason anytime soon. The sect had always been slightly extreme and it hadn't gotten better when Xian Xun took the Sect Master position over from his late Master. As somebody who had suffered quite a lot at the hands of the demons, he naturally hated them to the core. Of course, he would try everything he could to make sure that they were completely eradicated. Unfortunately, he had completely lost sight of reality while pursuing that goal.
Just when she wanted to speak up, the Elder of the Jing Sheng Temple next to her jumped to his feet and stared at the distant sky. "It's the dragons!"
Fei Bai Mu looked over and also got up, waiting for them to come closer. Save for Hua Min who knew some of the backstory to this whole matter and of course, Zhangsun Xun Yi who had been involved in almost everything that had happened in the Yun Zou Sect over the past years and thus knew anyway, she hadn't told anyone about the involvement of the dragons. Even the other unranked sects had only been told that she was afraid that the demon-hunting sects would be making trouble and should thus keep a close eye on them.
But she hadn't said anything more than that for fear of giving the wrong impression. While she had asked the dragons if they would be willing to come, them actually appearing very much depended on whether they wanted to or not. Naturally, this should be treated as such. It was good if they could come and give their account of things but if they reconsidered, then she also had no right to complain. So, it was better to let them come as a surprise.
Everyone attending forgot about the conflict for a short moment and focused on the two figures that had almost arrived at the grounds of the Jian Yi Sect. Even though they were all cultivators with great strength, they could not compare to those who had been born immortal. Feeling awed at seeing this kind of creature probably was to be expected. Especially since it was rare to actually dragons in the mortal realm.
One of the most excited people was probably Xian Xun. Seeing the dragons, his eyes lit up, and he turned back to Zhangsun Xun Yi, a trace of gloating in his eyes. "The people of the dragon race must've come here to save our Chun Feng Sect from being falsely accused by you people! Everybody knows that they are in conflict with the demon race. Naturally, they would be on our side."
Zhangsun Xun Yi slightly raised his brows but didn't bother to contradict him. Anyway, the dragon race was able to say their piece on their own.
At that moment, the two dragons had already arrived. One of them had gray scales and a pair of piercing, violet eyes, giving him a mystical appeal, while the other was a white dragon with both blue eyes and claws, a beautiful and elegant creature.
The people of the mortal realm didn't know too much about the dragons and they definitely wouldn't have been able to recognize any individuals among them. In the dragon realm, this kind of sight probably would've caused a bit of a stir. After all, these two were none other than two of the dragon king's advisers, Xiang Yong and An Bai.
The two dragons changed into their human form and Xiang Yong's gaze zeroed in on Xian Xun immediately, seeming everything but friendly. "Your side? There must be something wrong with your head, human. You should be happy that I didn't take it the last time we saw each other for disrespecting our king."
The people gathered at the Jian Yi Sect that had originally been bubbling with excitement at the sight of actual, living dragons suddenly turned eerily quiet.
As for Xian Xun, his face drained of all color. He very much remembered who this man in front of him was. The last time, they had fought for quite some time before the person rushed away, leaving him behind in fury. He had felt distinctly not human to him and judging from his looks, he had been sure that he had to be a demon. But now …
Xian Xun looked back up at the sky as if he would see another pair of dragons there and those two could indeed still turn out to be just a pair of demons that were trying to play tricks on their minds. Unfortunately, the sky was empty.
Xiang Yong scoffed and turned away, looking at Fei Bai Mu instead. "Sect Master Fei, as promised, we came here to say our piece."
Fei Bai Mu gave a faint smile. "I'm glad that you were willing to come. How's that person of your race that you rescued the other time?"
Xiang Yong slightly furrowed his brows at that and once again glanced at Xian Xun. "Well, considering the circumstances I would say he is doing quite well. Naturally not to the point a healthy child of the dragon race should be. I guess that Chun Feng Sect of your mortal realm has quite a few questions to answer."