After sending Si Rong away, Shen Qingmang went straight to find the sect leader. The other party was in good spirits and looked like he could live at least another 500 years. However, Shen Qingmang felt heartbroken when he thought that the sect leader mentioned by Gu Suihan also passed away shortly after Qiongju's sacrifice.
She briefly reported what she had seen and heard in Chaohua Palace, spoke highly of her Third Senior Sister, and tactfully expressed her wish to return home when she had time. Yun Xuzhou snorted proudly, "Can I stop her from coming back?"
"Qing Mang also told Senior Sister the same thing. Taichu will always be her home, and even marrying someone else won't change that."
"With her condition, who knows how much trouble she'll cause. I'm afraid she'll come back crying one day and ask us to help her fix it."
Shen Qingmang smiled and said, "Master, you should be more assured about Third Senior Sister. She is not that unstable."
"Then she can rest assured. She's the only one who's always out of touch among you. I didn't expect that she would be the first to get married in the end." Yun Xuzhou sighed.
Shen Qingmang thought his master was going to start urging him to get married again, and he was ready to give in. Unexpectedly, he said, "Forget it, forget it. It's fine if you don't get married. You won't have any worries and will achieve great success soon."
She frowned subconsciously. "Master, that's not what you said before."
"Before Baopu ascended, he said something to me."
"What?" She waited for a long time, but the other party did not respond.
Yun Xuzhou's eyes seemed to be filled with a multitude of emotions, yet also seemed to be completely empty. After a long moment, he turned away. "Nothing. Perhaps I'm just overthinking things. After all, everyone's path is different."
“Master…”
"I will be going into seclusion soon. All matters within the sect, big or small, will be decided by you. Consult with the elders. Although they can be a bit conservative at times, most of their experience is still useful."
Shen Qingmang was horrified. The original novel mentioned that during these sixty years, Yun Xuzhou had only been in seclusion for a short time. After he emerged, the news was that something had gone wrong with his training, and he had been seriously injured and unconscious.
"Master, why did you suddenly go into seclusion? Qingmang is still young and cannot bear this heavy responsibility!" she asked anxiously.
"I have some understanding in my heart, but I don't know how to apply it. I, your teacher, must retreat and contemplate in order to break through this barrier." Yun Xuzhou looked at her gently, "Don't underestimate yourself. You've been doing a great job as the Peak Master over the years, and your disciples have grown into pillars of the sect. In time, they will surely become the backbone of the sect."
She gathered herself and said, "Master, Qingmang has an important matter that I cannot decide on my own, so I came here today to talk to you about it."
"What's up?"
"Have you heard about the soul-attracting talisman developed by Wuwei Peak?"
Yunxuzhou nodded. "There is such a talisman. Yanxiang showed it to me. This child's attainments in the art of talismans are truly increasing. He's solved many cultivators' pressing needs."
"But this talisman has great hidden dangers." Shen Qingmang repeated what he had said to Shi Mingli.
Yun Xuzhou didn't take it seriously. "It's still okay as a temporary solution. We can just take it back when the spiritual energy becomes abundant again."
"But what if the spiritual energy will never become stronger again?" Shen Qingmang said in a deep voice.
He widened his eyes slightly. "How could that be? Could it be that Qingmang, while traveling, you noticed something?"
"This is a serious matter, and Qing Mang dares not jump to conclusions, but I have a feeling." She said earnestly, "Qing Mang suspects that the current decline in spiritual energy is just the beginning, and it is not limited to the Taichu sect. There may be turmoil in the future."
If this life is the same as the previous one, then within five years, the judgment that the spiritual energy between heaven and earth is declining will spread to all sects, and the low-key Fang Yuan Sect will step into the center of the stage and stir up trouble.
Yun Xuzhou also grew serious. "If you truly have such a strong premonition, perhaps it's a warning from Heaven. I'll go and get you a divination."
"No, Master. The Sky-Seeing Technique will cause you too much damage. Qingmang intends to visit various sects to understand the situation and see if any of them are in a similar predicament as ours."
"You were in Chaohua Palace before... Oh, yes, the cultivation method of Chaohua Palace is different from ours. It doesn't rely much on spiritual energy."
"Well, they mainly rely on stimulating inner emotions." Shen Qingmang said, "I plan to go to the Qihuang Sect first. First, apart from the Chaohua Palace, the Qihuang Sect is the closest sect to us. Second, my disciple's eldest disciple is not fully recovered yet, so I'm afraid I need to ask the Qihuang Sect's doctors for treatment."
"Okay. Then you go ahead. I'll go into seclusion later."
"Master, if you feel unwell, please let me know immediately."
"Why do you keep saying this? Don't worry, your master is in good health. Even if I fight with you, I won't be at a disadvantage." Yun Xuzhou said with a smile.
Shen Qingmang laughed dryly twice, said goodbye and left. He did not return to Wuya Peak, but went to Wuwei Peak.
As expected, An Yanxiang soon appeared in front of her.
"You're back, Junior Sister." The other person's eyes were tender.
Shen Qingmang clenched his palms with the fingers hidden in his sleeves and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, she didn't come back."
An Yanxiang's eyes narrowed. "You mean...her."
"Hasn't the real person guessed it long ago? I'm a completely different person than before. Now I won't hide it from you. I'm indeed not her. She has been killed by you."
Shen Qingmang uttered words similar to those in the illusion. She didn't want to reveal this so soon because she didn't know what changes the crazy An Yanxiang would cause.
But she realized that the most terrifying thing would be the lack of variables, as the Taichu Sect might inevitably repeat its previous fate. Therefore, she had to disrupt the situation first, so she could find a way out among the variables.
An Yanxiang's reaction was slightly different from the one in the illusion, but she was still obsessed with the specific words in her words. "I killed her? How is that possible? It must be you, the evil spirit, who devoured my junior sister!"
"Then Master Fengchun wants to take my life? But you have already been defeated by me." Shen Qingmang curled his lips.
An Yanxiang laughed instead of getting angry. "It's too early to say that now, isn't it? Do you really think you can occupy her body forever?"
"The master seems very confident that she will come back. What are you relying on? Is it this?" Shen Qingmang said, flipping his right hand, and a spirit-attracting talisman placed flat in his palm.
"What does this mean? This is just a talisman to help people practice."
"Are you helping others cultivate, or are you draining their spiritual energy and harming their cultivation? You've been wandering around for all these years, are you looking for medicine for Qiongju, or are you colluding with the Fangyuan Sect?"
Shen Qingmang just wanted to trick An Yanxiang, but from the other party's shocked expression, she realized that she had guessed right.
Sure enough, the spiritual power of the Taichu Sect members was restricted during the war because of this small, seemingly harmless talisman.
"How did you know that?"
"I am not evil, but a person like Yang Zhidu who has the ability to predict the future. She is the daughter of destiny, and so am I." Shen Qingmang said seriously.
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