Chapter 170: Gufeng Knocks on the Taichu Sect’s Gate

Sect Master Huanglong did not speak again. Without his permission, the attendant did not dare to rise from the floor. Just as the atmosphere in the side hall grew strangely tense, a clear bell toll suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire Great Islet Mountain range.

“Someone is paying a formal visit?” Huanglong returned from his deep thoughts, his expression turning serious. He said to the attendant, “The bell only rang once. It is a junior from another sect coming to pay a visit to our Taichu Sect. Go and see which sect they are from.”

After speaking, as if he had thought of something, he added, “At the same time, inform the masters of the four great halls to come and see me at the Taichu Grand Hall. In addition, hide the three Purple Seeds and do not let them come out under any circumstances. Also, you must tell all the disciples of the sect not to speak a single word of our internal affairs, especially about the matter of recruiting three Unsurpassed Purple Seeds last year. Anyone who mentions it will be executed as a traitor, and their entire clan will be annihilated!”

As he spoke the last words, his tone was filled with a killing intent that sent a chill through the attendant’s heart. As if granted a pardon, the attendant scrambled up from the floor, a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. He rushed out of the side hall without even wiping it away.

After the attendant had left, Huanglong muttered to himself, “It has been several decades since anyone has paid a formal visit. I wonder what the purpose of this sudden visit is?” In previous years, any communication between the major sects was handled by means of paper cranes and other such methods. A formal visit was rarely used unless it was for a matter of great importance.

With the Sect Master’s order given, the vast and formidable Taichu Sect moved with terrifying speed. One order after another was issued from the Taichu Grand Hall. All the disciples passed the word, and soon everyone knew that a junior from an outside sect had come to visit. They also knew of the Sect Master’s gag order regarding the three new Purple Seeds, and the punishment for violating it.

The Hall Masters of the four great halls immediately understood the Sect Master’s intentions. Su Baihua of the Hundred Flowers Hall did not hesitate to take Xu Yu into seclusion for a few days. Master Bizhu of the Jade Bamboo Hall also quickly took Li Jing away. As for Zhang Kuang, he had not yet returned to the Spirit Field Valley and was also hidden away under strict protection.

Teams of Discipline Hall disciples quickly appeared among the disciples. Wherever there were people, they were there, monitoring their conversations. In an instant, the atmosphere of the entire sect grew tense.

While practicing talisman carving, Qin Haoxuan asked Ye Yiming, “Senior Brother, what’s going on? Has something else happened?”

Ye Yiming shook his head and explained, “It’s not that something has happened, but that a disciple from another sect has come to pay a formal visit. One toll of the bell means the visitor is a junior. Two means a peer, and three means a senior with a higher standing than the Sect Master. The bell only rang once, so it must be that a major cultivation sect has sent a disciple to visit.”

“A formal visit? Don’t these sects have other means of communication?”

“The cultivation world generally only uses this method to invite another sect to a grand ceremony, or when a major event has occurred, to show solemnity. Minor matters are usually handled with paper cranes.”

Qin Haoxuan nodded. He was not lying when he said this; since he began cultivating, he had only known of the Taichu Sect. He had never heard of any other sects, let alone seen their cultivators. He was very curious to see what the young elites of other sects looked like.

The moment he and Ye Yiming stepped outside, they were immediately informed of the gag order. Qin Haoxuan was no fool; having seen the cold and merciless side of the cultivation world, he quickly understood the sect’s motive.

The disciples of the Spirit Field Valley flocked to the main gate of the sect to watch.

At the gate, the attendant arrived in a hurry. After he stepped out, he formed a hand seal, and his Immortal Cloud Cart rapidly shrank, flying back into his hand. He then performed a Daoist salute to the man and woman standing at the gate.

“Senior Brother, Senior Sister, may I ask which sect you hail from?” the attendant asked politely as a matter of routine.

The two showed no dissatisfaction that the Taichu Sect had only sent an attendant to greet them. The man smiled faintly. “Chang Aotian, disciple of the Gufeng Sect. This is my junior sister, Xu Qing.”

“So it is the two of you from the Gufeng Sect. Senior Brother Chang, Senior Sister Xu, please follow me.” The attendant held out his right hand and blew a breath of spiritual energy onto the cart model in his palm. It instantly expanded, becoming a mid-sized Immortal Cloud Cart with a luxurious exterior and an exquisitely beautiful interior.

The attendant’s move was clearly more for show than a sincere invitation. Seeing the cart, a hint of shock appeared in the eyes of Chang Aotian and Xu Qing. “They say the Taichu Sect is wealthy and powerful, and its great mountain array is incomparably profound,” Chang Aotian praised. “Today, just seeing this cart, covered in such ingenious wards and arrays, is truly admirable.”

The praise pleased the attendant, but he just gave a light smile. “Senior Brother Chang is too modest. I am just an attendant. This cart is merely a plaything given to me by the Sect Master.”

Xu Qing, who had been silent, now spoke. A smile appeared on her round, lovely face. Her voice was sweet, but her tone was not. “Senior Brother, don’t be so polite. Before we came, we had already heard that the Sect Master has a trusted and beloved disciple. You whisper a few words in his ear, and it is probably more effective than anything an elder from the Elder’s Council could say, no?”

Her words had painted him as someone who relied on flattery, but the attendant’s expression remained perfectly calm. He said in a neutral tone, “Senior Sister exaggerates. I am but a humble attendant; I cannot influence the Sect Master.”

He then made a gesture of invitation, but Xu Qing ignored him. She took out a strangely shaped model of a vehicle from her robes and, after blowing a breath of spiritual energy on it, it also flew from her hand and expanded, becoming a magnificent carriage.

In terms of luxury, this carriage was in no way inferior to the attendant’s; in fact, it might have even surpassed it. It was pulled by eight lifelike and handsome steeds, and it was also covered in inscriptions and wards. What most attracted the attendant’s gaze were the seven sockets in the carriage’s axle, arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper, each one inlaid with a dazzling, brilliant spirit stone. They were at least mid-grade spirit stones.

This display of wealth completely upstaged his own cart.

Chang Aotian and Xu Qing leaped into their carriage and cupped their hands towards the attendant. “Thank you for your kind invitation, Senior Brother, but it is a rare opportunity for us to visit the Great Islet Mountain. It would be a shame to miss the chance to admire the scenery by taking your fast cart.”

The attendant thought to himself, You’ve already gotten into your own carriage; why bother with such false pleasantries? But his face showed none of his annoyance. He said to the two of them, “In that case, please forgive my poor hospitality. The Sect Master is waiting for you in the Taichu Grand Hall. I ask that you not delay for too long.”

“Of course, of course!” Chang Aotian replied. The two of them then drove the carriage up the sect’s “Stairway to Heaven.”

An ordinary carriage would have been shaken to pieces on the stone steps, but this one moved as smoothly as if it were on flat ground. They were a perfect pair: he, handsome and dashing; she, beautiful and cute.

“What a fine pair,” Qin Haoxuan couldn’t help but exclaim. He could clearly feel that their cultivation levels were not low. His gaze, however, was drawn to the swords on their backs. Although they were still in their scabbards, their sword qi could not be concealed and only added to their heroic air.

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