The crowd did not react right away. Fairy Zhi had just been sent flying from the platform. She had literally landed in the middle of the spectators as a feather fluttering down toward the ground. Even in defeat, she had been agile and graceful.
On the platform, Cao Yun was now alone. Every trace of Qi Manifestation had disappeared. By his side, Chief Elder Baishen appeared with 'Tainted Heavenly Pillar' in hand. Before anyone could react, she began to speak.
"Fair Zhi Yin was sent out of the platform. Chen Guo is declared the winner! This was a great fight that we all witnessed today, the kind we can't often see. Both fighters proved their worth and showed the fruit of their arduous work. The two of them are the pride of our Wubei Sect. During these trying times, knowing that such brilliant young people are among us should bring us all comfort and pride. Many forces are conspiring against the Wubei Sect, the Hongchen Kingdom and even the human race as a whole. But in the end, mankind will always stand proud and strong.
"Emperor Nuwa fought against millenniums of servitude and oppression. Everything seemed hopeless back then, way more than it is today. Yet, mankind prevailed. Our enemies should shake with fear, not the other way around. Although we have suffered greatly by the coward acts of the demonic cultivators and although demons are getting more and more active, vowing our death or enslavement, they should be the one to fear us. We have survived and we will continue. Let those who would harm our Wubei Sect tremble and cower before our might!"
Using this spectacular fight, Chief Elder Baishen galvanized the crowd. Those who had been silent erupted in a huge clamor. Around Zhi Yin, many were looking at her with admiration. Even Ling Hui had not regret in her eyes. She was not satisfied by the result of the fight, but even she was forced to admit that Cao Yun was a worthy opponent. This time, he had bested her idol thanks to the rules of the duel. But in an actual fight, he might not have had this chance. Although he had grown fast, Fair Zhi could also grow fast. In fact, she had voluntarily slowed down her cultivation to avoid any form of Qi deviation. She had done what Cao Yun should have done before hurting himself.
Now that the crowd was brimming with joy and excitement, Chief Elder Baishen knew that the time had come. She gave the spear back to Cao Yun who stored it in his spatial ring. Then, a shadow appeared above the sky. From the beginning of the duel, he had been there without no one noticing him. But this time, everyone recognized his face.
Sect Leader Xuan was towering above the plaza. His expression was calm but it was awe-inspiring, and even intimidating for some. Sect Leader Xuan was known as the strongest cultivator of the Hongchen Kingdom. And the way he had fought during the recent crisis had proved it to everyone. Even the first-years who had not witnessed any of that felt suppressed by this serene man who seemed to be walking on thin air.
"Disciples of my Wubei Sect, instructors, elders, chief elders. As Chief Elder Baishen just stated, we have been through a lot already. I would like to tell you that our pain is over. However, this would be a lie. The demons are gathering at our borders. All the armies of our Hongchen Kingdom are on alert. Soon, a full-out war with some of the demon kingdoms might unleash its ferocity upon us. But mark my words! Mankind will always prevail against such reckless hate.
"Some thought that abandoning our humanity to turn to the demonic arts might have been the solution. It is not! It never was. And it never will be. The proof of the matter is that they failed before our unity. Emperor Nuwa brought all of mankind together to fight a common enemy. If we have to fight again for our survival, we will do so united!
"Many rumors concerning my health have spread. It is true that I am old. But you've all seen that my strength didn't leave me!"
As he spoke those words, his spiritual senses manifested around him. For the disciples gathered in the plaza, he looked like a god in the sky. Even Cao Yun was impressed by this display of might. Sect Leader Xuan seemed invincible right now.
"Nonetheless, I am getting old. There would be no sense in denying it. As such, I am concerned about the future of the Wubei Sect. We will go through this crisis but in a hundred years or even two hundred years, I might not be here anymore. Thus, I will now solemnly nominate my direct disciple, the one who will take my seat when the time will come. The one I chose for this heavy burden is Chen Guo. Young Sect Master Chen Guo!"
People did not even question Sect Leader Xuan's words. After seeing the fight just now, they were already impressed by Cao Yun's talent. With the words spoken and the aura of Chief Elder Baishen and Sect Leader Xuan, no one would ever question his decision. In fact, it seemed like the natural course of things. Cao Yun was the only one who could become Sect Leader Xuan's successor. Even among the inner disciples, no one was as talented as he was. Apart from Zhi Yin, there was probably not a single Mortal Warrior who could rival him. Unfortunately though, Fairy Zhi Yin did not intend to stay within the Wubei sect.
Besides all that, Cao Yun was also known as an alchemist and an array formation master. He was a member of Zhi Yin's faction and his sworn brothers were all direct disciples of chief elders. He already had ties with the chief elders and the strength to back up this decision. Now, the crowd could not accept anyone else as the Young Sect Master. If someone were to bring up another name, the entire Wubei Sect would be against him. This was perfect!
Sect Leader Xuan let the crowd acclaim Cao Yun's name. Although the name was fake, Cao Yun still felt something when he heard the entire plaza packed with people shout his name.
"Young Sect Master Chen Guo! Young Sect Master Chen Guo!"
After a few moments, Cao Yun felt his body slowly float up in the air. Sect Leader Xuan was using his spiritual senses to control him. He could have done so way faster, but he was putting on a show for the crowd and everyone else. They both disappeared in the clouds, in the direction of the Sect Palace.
On the ground, Ling Hui had gone to Zhi Yin's side.
"What a showoff!"
Zhi Yin sent her an amused gaze.
"You seem to have warmed up to him..."
"Well... He's not just talk. But Fairy Zhi is still the greatest! The next time you'll fight, he'll definitely lose!"
"The 'next time'..."
There was melancholy in Zhi Yin's words. Immediately, Ling Hui looked up at her in a panic.
"Fairy..."
Ling Hui realized she might have misspoken. She knew what awaited in Zhi Yin's future. They might never meet again. In fact, Zhi Yin might never even see the Hongchen Kingdom ever again.
With all the people and all the joy around them, the two women decided not to dwell on the topic. On the contrary, they fully joined the crowd and embraced the euphoria.
-
When Cao Yun touched the ground, he was in the Sect Palace once more. This time, he was alone with Sect Leader Xuan. Almost immediately, several array formations activated and Sect Leader Xuan even spread his spiritual senses all over Cao Yun and himself. He went to the extent of using his martial arts as Cao Yun could feel the space around him vibrate.
"We are now completely isolated from the outside world. Even I would need a few hours to get through this kind of barrier. We can speak freely and others will just think I am giving you special information on our Wubei Sect. The truth of the matter is that I have many things to discuss with you. I already learned a lot by talking with Xiao Xuefeng and Matriarch Huang. I won't need you to divulge anything. On the contrary, I am the one who has many things to divulge to you.
"Let's begin with the state of our investigation into the demonic cultivators.
"We have found out that Mo Zi and the man who infiltrated the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute, Gu Song, both originated from the Subei Province near the Sunmen Province. Besides, even Luo Jiang, whom you've met in Yinmen City three years ago, seems to have learned his craft there. We believe Luo Jiang had always been a way to attract Spirit Master Xiao into our Wubei Sect so that Mo Tian could observe her and free the path for Gu Song. What he stole in the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute is a very potent ingredient in alchemy.
"The Heavenly Silver Peach Tree seldom bears fruits and each one is beyond precious. We can't be sure of what they want to do with it. But if my guess is correct, they used it to get rid of a seal. Either Mo Tian used it to purge an hypothetical seal the Demon King put on him or the Demon King was Mo Tian all along and he used it to erase a seal that had been put on him by someone else. There's also the possibility that they intended to use it in order to get rid of a seal within Da Mo's body. At this stage, we can't really know why they stole it. But it was almost as important as Da Mo's body for them, if not more. From that, we can assume that their plan is not yet over. Until we've found and killed all of them, we won't be safe."
Sect Leader Xuan kept on going about what they had discovered. Many demonic cultivators had been able to flee from the Wubei Sect. It was also difficult to account for every single disciple, instructor and even elder. The list of the dead during the stampede was still not definitive. Surely, some members of the Wubei Sect had been taken hostage by fleeing demonic cultivators while others were demonic cultivators themselves.
Cao Yun listened to all the reports of demonic cultivators sightings. There didn't seem to be a pattern in the way they were moving around. Clearly, they were in a panic and fleeing where they could. Besides, the Wubei Sect had formed a strong alliance with both the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute and the Huang family to hunt down those threats. They had found many places where the demonic cultivators had created temporary camps and were targeting them.
In that endeavor, Cao Yun wouldn't add much help. However, there were other things he could investigate. When he was done stating the facts, Sect Leader Xuan looked directly in Cao Yun's eyes. He could clearly see his determination.
"I do realize that you want to do something, that you can't sit idly by. But with everything that's going on, we won't be able to help you at all if you leave the Wubei Sect. On the other hand, if you wait and the war erupts with the demons, chaos will engulf the entire Hongchen Kingdom. At that point, it will become impossible to follow any kind of lead."
"Sect Leader Xuan, do not worry. I already have plans in mind. I'll first go to the ruins of the Wolf Head Sect. Then I'll get back to Baziyun City and investigate what the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall knows and talk with Matriarch Huang. There, I will be as safe as in the Wubei Sect. Matriarch Huang and Huang Liyue themselves have guaranteed my safety. With such experts giving me their words, I am certain that nothing bad will happen to me. And the Wolf Head Sect should be completely abandoned.
"But I also have a way to protect myself, the 'Ashen Feather Seal'. On that matter, I also intend to get a few words with Huang Liyue to improve my technique. And I also hoped to get access to materials concerning seals. It might help me both with my stealth and my investigation. To tell the truth, I've been able to get rid of a few seals in demonic cultivators, but I can't do anything other than temporarily disrupt the most powerful ones, those in their sea of consciousness. Since Spirit Master Xiao has a hard time doing so herself, I don't hope to achieve great proficiency, but knowing more about them might be useful."
Sect Leader Xuan already knew what 'Ashen Feather Seal' was and he had seen Cao Yun use it during the rebellion. As such, he had to admit that it would indeed be a powerful way to protect himself. Even if he couldn't completely conceal himself in front of a late Spirit Warriors, he could at least alter his perception and hide his real identity. Furthermore, Xiao Xuefeng had confirmed that his mind cultivation allowed him to lie even to her. No one in the Hongchen Kingdom would be able to tell that Cao Yun was lying just by listening to his voice or watching his behavior.
"Of course. As the Young Sect Master, short of a few forbidden tomes, you have access to every single book and manual in the Wubei Sect. Seals are a specialty of the soul and mind pavilion. Chief Elder Lümian will be able to help and guide you on that matter. Although her spiritual senses are not as developed as Spirit Master Xiao's, she is the most competent seal master we have.
"Concerning your intentions, I do think inspecting the Wolf Head Sect won't bring you anything. The Imperial City completely razed it to the grounds. But you might be able to find something, who knows... The Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall might be able to provide you with some information that will help you find a better lead. But I have an idea for you, the Alchemy Conference.
"It happens only once by generation and everyone under Spirit Warrior can participate. The last time the Emperor was seen by all was during the previous Alchemy Conference. Since then, he barely appeared. And no one saw him for seventy years, apart from the ministers of the Imperial City. But I'm not sure if we can trust them. If Emperor Weide does not appear during this Alchemy Conference, especially with everything that happened and the threat of a war, many will have a lot of questions. As such, I think it important that you are there. And being a participant will give you more leeway to act as you see fit."