“Ninth Elder.” Xiao Feng’s voice trembled slightly. “I have some bad news to tell you. Fifth Elder, Seventh Elder, and your Eighth Elder, they… they perished inside the Wushan Seal.”
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Elder's body trembled slightly, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes.
But he quickly regained his composure and pressed on, "What about the seal? How is the seal?"
Xiao Feng noticed the Ninth Elder's worry and quickly replied, "Please rest assured, Ninth Elder, the Wushan Seal remains intact."
Upon hearing this news, the Ninth Elder breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
He closed his eyes, seemingly reminiscing about his deceased fellow disciples.
"The Fifth Elder is always cautious, the Seventh Elder is resourceful, and the Eighth Elder is extremely powerful. The fact that the three of them were willing to give their lives to protect the seal must mean they encountered an extremely difficult situation."
The Ninth Elder opened his eyes, his gaze filled with reminiscence.
"I still remember when the Fifth Elder ventured alone into the lair of a demon beast to obtain the Dragon Marrow for the sect. The Seventh Elder, even more so, single-handedly resolved the conflict between the three major sects. As for the Eighth Elder, his swordsmanship was divine; he once won eighteen consecutive matches at the Hundred Swords Tournament..."
Xiao Feng listened quietly to the Ninth Elder's recollections, and couldn't help but feel admiration for these heroic figures.
However, the Ninth Elder's next words made his heart tighten.
“However,” the Ninth Elder narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Xiao Feng, “you couldn’t have come just to deliver a message. Speak, what else is there?”
Xiao Feng knew it was time to be honest.
"Ninth Elder, to be honest, I have another private matter I would like to ask you."
He continued, "My godfather is Wu Hai of the Ming Cult. A few days ago, he fought against the Taotie Mo Li, who had broken free of his seal. After returning to the Ming Cult, his personality changed drastically. I... I suspect he may have been possessed by Mo Li."
"Ninth Elder, I want to know, is there any way to save my godfather?"
After listening, the Ninth Elder fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he slowly spoke: "To solve this problem, there is only one thing that can be used—the Divine Fire Stone."
"Divine Fire Stone?" Xiao Feng's eyes lit up.
The Ninth Elder nodded and explained, "The Divine Fire Stone is the most yang and yang substance in the world, capable of stripping away evil spirits that possess the human body. Only it can force the Taotie out of Wu Hai's body without harming his life."
Hope ignited in Xiao Feng's heart, and he asked eagerly, "Where is this Divine Fire Stone?"
"As far as I know, the Divine Fire Stone is located on the coast of the East China Sea."
As the Ninth Elder spoke, he took out a uniquely shaped conch shell from his bosom.
This conch is pure white, with faint golden lines visible on its spiral pattern, shimmering in the sunlight.
The Ninth Elder handed the conch shell to Xiao Feng and said, "This is something I obtained when I was young and befriended the Lord of the East Sea. The Lord once said that if I ever encountered a problem, I could use this to seek his help. Now I am giving it to you, hoping it may be of some assistance to you."
Xiao Feng carefully took the conch shell, his heart filled with overwhelming excitement.
He knew that this might be the only hope of saving his adoptive father.
"Thank you, Ninth Elder!" He bowed deeply. "I will set off for the East Sea coast immediately and will do my utmost to find the Divine Fire Stone and rescue my godfather!"
The Ninth Elder nodded with satisfaction: "Go, I wish you a safe journey. Remember, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you must persevere to the end."
Xiao Feng nodded solemnly and carefully put the conch shell away.
Xiao Feng bowed deeply to the Ninth Elder: "Thank you for your guidance, Ninth Elder. I will now set off for the East Sea coast."
After saying that, he glanced at Zhao Yuwei, and the two turned and strode out of the Radiant Hall, their backs as straight as pine trees.
The Ninth Elder watched Xiao Feng leave, and once his figure disappeared from sight, he immediately called out, "Gan Feng, come here."
Gan Feng emerged from the shadows outside the hall, a displeased expression on his face.
He glanced in the direction Xiao Feng had left, his heart filled with indescribable bitterness.
"Master, did you call me?"
The Ninth Elder's sharp gaze swept across Gan Feng's face, and he said coldly, "What, do you have objections to my decision?"
Gan Feng gritted his teeth, but ultimately couldn't suppress his dissatisfaction.
“Master, Xiao Feng is just an outsider, yet you treat him with such courtesy. This disciple…this disciple does not understand.”
"Don't understand?" The Ninth Elder sneered, "Do you have even half of Xiao Feng's skills? All you do is get jealous and neglect your cultivation, so naturally you're inferior to others!"
Gan Feng's face flushed red and then turned pale after being scolded. He opened his mouth but dared not refute.
He clenched his fists, a hint of resentment and jealousy flashing in his eyes.
Seeing this, the Ninth Elder softened his tone slightly: "Alright, I have a task for you."
As he spoke, he took out a peculiar stone from his sleeve.
The stone is crystal clear, and you can vaguely see strands of colorful light flowing through it.
Gan Feng looked at the stone curiously and asked, "Master, what is this?"
The Ninth Elder explained solemnly, "This is a Demon-Identifying Stone. It will automatically turn black when it encounters a demon, white when it encounters an immortal, and remain unchanged when it encounters a human."
With that, he handed the stone to Gan Feng. "Take this and visit Wu Hai at the Ming Cult."
Gan Feng's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood his master's intention.
This was clearly a way to send him to test Wu Hai's true identity!
He was secretly delighted, feeling that he had finally been given an important position.
"Disciple understands and will certainly live up to Master's expectations!"
The Ninth Elder nodded: "Go, but be sure to proceed with caution."
Gan Feng responded and left with light steps.
Soon, his figure disappeared outside the hall.
Only the Ninth Elder remained in the vast Radiant Hall.
He slowly walked to the window, gazing at the distant, undulating mountains, his brow furrowed. "I hope everything goes smoothly, and that nothing goes wrong..."
When Xiao Feng and Zhao Yuwei left Huayun Sect and arrived at the foot of the mountain, Xiao Feng suddenly froze.
He scratched his head. "What...what should I do? I have absolutely no idea how to get to the East China Sea coast!"
Seeing Xiao Feng's conflicted expression, Zhao Yuwei couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, you silly boy, didn't the Ninth Elder of the Huayun Sect already give you the conch shell? The road to the East Sea coast must be on it."
Xiao Feng slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, how could I have forgotten about that!"
He quickly took out the mysterious conch shell from his pocket and carefully held it in his palm.
The conch shell has a pearly luster and refracts rainbow colors in the sunlight.
"Miss Zhao, look!" Xiao Feng exclaimed.
Suddenly, a strange light shone from the opening of the conch shell, and a magnificent scene slowly unfolded in the air.
It was a lifelike map, clearly marking the route to the coast of the East China Sea.
Zhao Yuwei couldn't help but exclaim in amazement: "It's truly amazing! This conch shell actually contains such profound power."
Xiao Feng carefully observed the map, noticing that the route sometimes transformed into a swimming dragon, and sometimes into a crane spreading its wings and soaring high.
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