"Speak up! Why did you attack our Nine Step Sect!" An elder of the Nine Step Sect released his spiritual binding aura on Tang Peng. He was truly infuriated by such an incidence occurring at their sect!
"I... also don't know. Please spare me, mighty immortal!" At this point, Tang Peng's natural instincts to protect his life kicked in. Deep down, no one wanted to die such a pathetic death! He was already suppressed to kneel on the floor, making him even more scared.
"You... No one has attacked the core Nine Step Sect for hundreds of years!" The elder raised his fist against Tang Peng, wanting to hit him. However, Pong Tiu intervened, raising his hand to stop the elder. "This is not his fault. For some reason, I feel that a Soul Robbery Realm cultivator has possessed him somehow."
"Soul Robbery Realm? You must be joking Pong Tiu! Why would someone high enough to join the Gathering of Immortals resort to possessing a lowly mortal like him?" The elders snorted in unison. They could not believe that someone stronger than their Sect Leader would use this mortal vessel.
"Are you doubting me?" Pong Tiu stared at the bunch of elders, releasing his superior aura over them. He had to exert some power sometimes to curb their sense of superiority. Even though they were comrades in arms, arrogance was a common problem among cultivators.
"We wouldn't dare, Sect Leader." The elders kneeled on the floor and bowed in shame. However, they also felt a strong resentment towards Tang Peng. Why was their Sect Leader doing this for a mere mortal, even if he was related to Peng Xiu somehow? They gritted their teeth and held back their malicious intents.
"There seems to be a problem with your soul. Even if you are a mortal, it should not be so dark. Could you tell me what happened?" Pong Tiu did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point. He had been reported to about the incident at the Si Xiu mountains. Many people had died as a result of some unexplained phenomenon.
Somehow, the person standing in front of him was a survivor of that incident. Peng Xiu had also reported that this child was part of his family, after he used a bloodline test. He did not want to offend Peng Xiu, since he was quite a cultivator with a great future within the sect.
"I was just going back to the feast... everyone died... I woke up here." Tang Peng's face grew gloomier again when he mentioned the fact that everyone died. It was still a touchy subject for him, since he could not forget it no matter how hard he tried. Luckily, he could restore them through cultivation. Thinking about this, his face brightened up slightly.
Pong Tiu furrowed his eyebrows. The shockwave had affected many people among the different factions in the Five Star Continent. Some unfortunate small sects and demonic tribes without defence formations were completely wiped out. Not only that, he had also received reports that some Rotating Core Realm cultivators has died in the incident.
He had thought that this was simply a mass sacrifice by a sect on the demonic pathway to gain power, but it looked increasingly more likely that someone more powerful was behind the scenes. This matter had been complicated by at least tenfold.
"There could be an extremely powerful creature that has entered the Si Xiu mountains. It could even be a Billion-Headed Buddha Realm cultivator! It was clear that the Soul Robbery cultivator just now was also involved in this incident!"
Pong Tiu licked his lips nervously. This was the first time he had been faced with such supreme powers. If he was not careful, he might be wiped off the Five Stars continent. As the leader of one of the four major sects of this continent, he had accumulated a lot of wisdom.
First, he should send out some Rotating Core disciples as scouts. He would cut off one part of their soul and make them into soul lamps. Soul lamps were generally considered a method of evil cultivators, but he did not want to take any risks.
If the soul flame in the soul lamps extinguish, he would quickly pack up and move the core disciples of the Nine Step Sect to another secluded area. Rotating Core cultivators could generally beat even a Astral Projection cultivator if they worked together. If their combined effort was not enough, then it would be better to just cut their losses and escape.
As he prepared to leave, a voice behind him asked, "Could I at least become a disciple of this sect? I want to learn to cultivate!" It was the boy, Tang Peng. Even though someone had used his body to wreak havoc on their sect, he bore no malice towards him.
"You could go to the cultivation trials with the rest of the disciples. Peng Xiu brought you here to try anyway." Pong Tiu made the decision to tell him about the cultivation trials. It was not of much consequence to him, since everything would be up to the kid himself.
"Where can I go for these trials? Also, how do I get out of this cave?" Tang Peng hurriedly asked Pong Tiu. He did not want to miss out on this opportunity to become an official cultivator!
"Elder Shi Xun, you shall take him to the official trials. Remember, don't try anything funny on the kid. Since the matter at hand is resolved, I will go now." Pong Tiu then vanished from everyone's vision.
Of course, no one had noticed that the golden door had opened the moment Pong Tiu disappeared, before it vanished itself. Only Soul Nurture cultivators could see it.
Elder Shi Xun was the elder who had argued back to Pong Tiu just now about not punishing Tang Peng. He gave Tang Peng a sharp look, before he concealed his emotions once again.
He grabbed Tang Peng's hand violently, before jumping onto the Sword of Storms. He then used the high acceleration of the Sword of Storms to zoom out of the cave. Luckily, Shi Xun has covered Tang Peng in a protective layer of Qi, which protected him from the brunt of the damage, even though he could feel the pain from flying so fast.
However, Tang Peng could also appreciate how truly beautiful the Nine Step Sect was from up here. There were many beautiful plants that was pleasing to the eye. Not only that, there were complicated and unique structures that gave off a menacing aura.
He could also spot some caves and mountains, upon which a mighty river was flowing on. He was totally mind-blown. He had not been exposed to much beauty, so this really took the cake for him.
The scenery distracted him from any problems at hand, as he enjoyed and relaxed himself. Eventually, he noticed that Shi Xun was slowing down.
"We've arrived."