"Is the hunter who witnessed the ancient city still here?"
"The Buddhist sect has its rules; anger is a breach of these rules. Great Master, do not let your anger rise."
Thus, every time they met, Mu Huan continued to provoke Master Wei Chen with his light and teasing words. Upon seeing the anger on Master Wei Chen's face, the alluring and enchanting elder from the Joyous Union Sect couldn't help but giggle. Bai Qiuran inquired, "What happened?"
"Enough!" Mu Huan, the elder from the Joyous Union Sect, had ties with Master Wei Chen, who hailed from the Celestial Buddhist Sect. They had history.
"Come on, come on, hit me if you dare," Bai Qiuran laughed. "Just like that."
"Is the hunter who witnessed the ancient city still here?"
"Of course, after discovering that the village had become like this, we immediately asked him to stay." Once again, seeing the furious expression on Master Wei Chen's face, the elder from the Joyous Union Sect chuckled merrily.
Since this time they were close by, the participants were different from last time. Aside from Bai Qiuran from the Qinming Sword Sect, who was still the oldest and quickest among them, other sects had replaced their representatives.
"Why does Master Wei Chen look so angry? Are we not welcome?"
"Come on, come on, hit me if you dare."
"Master Wei Chen replied, 'The hunter is currently in the village. I have sent two disciples to protect him.'"
"How did it move?"
"Mu Huan, how can you still say that?"
"It will take others some time to arrive; let’s go ask him." With some reluctance, Bai Qiuran returned to the village, calming his mindset.
This time, they faced an unheard-of enemy, unknown from the previous times in the Nine Provinces. To analyze their methods, more clues were needed.
Master Wei Chen, a practitioner along the Bodhisattva path of the Celestial Buddhist Sect, loathed evil and had long been active on the frontline of the Righteous Dao Alliance's efforts against dark activities, dismantling countless illegal nests of the Joyous Union Sect over the past thousand years.
Meanwhile, Lady Mu Huan held the prestigious position of elder within the Joyous Union Sect and was known for her technical expertise, often skirting the edges of the agreement.
Within the Joyous Union Sect, only Su Xiangxue did not fear Bai Qiuran; others, especially "the remnants of the last dynasty" like Mu Huan, still remembered how the Azure Nether Sword Ancestor had killed their sect leader.
"Please follow me," Bai Qiuran said.
Once more, since they were nearby, the personnel this time were different from last time.
"That's fine, although I’ve asked everything that needed to be asked, since the Sword Ancestor wants to inquire about it," Master Wei Chen gently touched his head and did not argue; it truly was a possibility.
"Oh dear, you’re quite angry,” someone commented as the tension rose.
This was a tense atmosphere; Bai Qiuran directed them to continue, “Let’s focus on the real matters.”
"Master Wei Chen, control your anger. Mu Huan, speak less and focus on the matters at hand.”
Seeing everyone nod, Master Wei Chen murmured, “After the meeting that day, our disciples were searching near the headquarters of the Yin Ling Sect and discovered an uninhabited village. In the village was a vortex of spiritual energy, just like…”
But with his vision from the cliff, he could not see what had exactly happened in the village after the city emerged, for soon after, he encountered the arriving Master Wei Chen, only to find that the city had already disappeared with the thick fog.
At that moment, deep reflection enveloped everyone.
"Is the hunter who witnessed the ancient city still here?"
Master Wei Chen led the way into the village. Bai Qiuran laughed lightly.
The elder from the Joyous Union Sect and the Master from the Celestial Buddhist Sect shared old ties.
“Since Bai Qiuran stopped the two from arguing, there was an awkward silence for a few seconds; no one spoke. Finally, an elder from the Yin Ling Sect broke the silence. 'Everyone, let’s not waste time; let's share the information we have gathered from our respective sects.'”
"Please follow me," Bai Qiuran said again.
“Let’s get back to the serious business. Master Wei Chen, control your anger. Mu Huan, speak less and focus on our discussion," Master Wei Chen, engaged with a serious demeanor, wanted to ensure that important matters were addressed.
"I'm afraid your fierce appearance scared the hunter so much he couldn’t speak."
Seeing everyone nodding, he spoke in a low voice, “After the meeting that day, our disciples were searching near the headquarters of the Yin Ling Sect, and they discovered an uninhabited village there, along with a vortex of spiritual energy, just like...”
But these details were not the main focus of the crowd. The underground headquarters, known as the "Dilo," was one of the ten sites among the Nine Provinces, made up of porous rocks covering several bottomless pits, and the true Dilo lay beneath these layers—a vast underground territory akin to an entire province.
As Bai Qiuran prepared to ask questions, he also realized that the vastness of the situation required them to derive total clarity from what they had already encountered.
"You must at least ensure we are aware of anything significant before proceeding," Bai Qiuran suggested.
Finally, as they prepared to resolve the situation, the gathering tension palpably filled the air…