Chapter 113 The Vanished Nameless Sect Finds Them
"Please, everyone," Venerable Chongjue gestured invitingly.
Ji Mingran led the disciples of Dingsheng Sect forward, but Mu Huanhui came up in front of him.
"Fellow Daoist Ji," Mu Huan said with a slight smile, "This celebration is divided into two venues, an inner and an outer one. The team leaders and participating disciples will be in the inner venue of the main hall, while the other observing disciples will be in the outer venue of the county city."
"You mean, we're going to break up?" Ji Mingran frowned.
Mu Huanhui changed his attitude from when they met at the Spiritual Cultivation Competition and was very polite to Ji Mingran: "It is necessary for the celebration ceremony. However, after the ceremony is completed, the disciples of each sect can move around freely, but they will be temporarily separated."
"The ceremony will begin at dawn. Our sect is currently making preparations for the ceremony, so please be patient and wait a moment. The leaders of the other sects and the participating disciples are also resting and waiting in their previous resting places. Fellow Daoists Ji, Shen, Zhu, and Guan are also requested to go to their resting places to rest first."
"As for the other fellow Daoists of Dingsheng Sect," a line of Hongqi Sect disciples in uniform robes stepped out from beside Mu Huanhui, "our sect has also arranged accommodations in the county town, and they will lead you there."
It sounds like the arrangements were well-thought-out and extremely thoughtful, fully demonstrating the host's hospitality.
However, Ji Mingran asked, "Isn't Dong Lu also a team leader? Shouldn't she be with us?"
According to Mu Huanhui, the team leader and the participating disciples would participate in the inner celebration and be separated from their own sect disciples to stay in separate resting places. He named four people, including himself, but notably did not mention the Eastern Continent.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, weren't you the leader of the Dingsheng Sect?" Mu Huanhui said calmly, "It is common for the leader to leave due to other matters, and for someone else in the sect to observe the test on his behalf. For example, our sect's Venerable One temporarily went to the Boundless Sea, and now that he has returned, he is still participating in the celebration ceremony."
The implication is that Dong Lu is only temporarily replacing Ji Mingran and is not considered a participant in this year's spiritual retreat, therefore he is not qualified to attend the inner part of the celebration.
If Donglu cannot accompany them to the inner venue of the celebration, then only the four elders of Dingsheng Sect without high cultivation levels will guard the inner venue.
The members of Dingsheng Sect exchanged glances, remaining silent for a moment.
Venerable Chongjue said gently, "Dingsheng Sect has not participated in the competition for a long time, and has probably forgotten this rule. Young friend Ji, you are young, yet you are both the team leader and a participant. This is the first time for the Spiritual Cultivation Competition, so you must attend the ceremony."
This reiterates that the Eastern Continent does not possess the status of a leader. Ji Mingran remained composed and smiled, "Indeed, I forgot. Thank you for reminding me, Venerable Chongjue."
Dingsheng Sect was not unaware of this rule, but they had never intended to participate in the celebration from the beginning. However, they were forced to participate because Chongjue insisted on keeping them there.
Hongqi Sect, on the other hand, further adhered to this rule, separating the four of them from the rest of the sect.
Since their attempt had failed, Ji Mingran and the other three walked out from among the sect disciples and stood together.
Separating isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the four of them should be careful.
Shen Qingluo, Guan Wangzhen, and Zhu Shibai are all Golden Core cultivators, so they have the ability to protect themselves should anything happen.
As for herself, she can summon her senior brother Sanyang at any time.
It would be safer to leave the other sect disciples in the care of Donglu.
Venerable Chongjue seemed to have already thought about how to settle Donglu. He waved his hand and said to Donglu, "Donglu, Dingsheng Sect has not opened its gates for a long time. Since Yuanliu has not yet arrived, why don't you come to my sect's Qiankun Hall for a visit and continue the friendship between the two sects?"
By excluding Donglu from the team leader's group, yet personally receiving him by Venerable Chongjue, no one could find fault with Hongqizong's actions.
Dong Lu declined, saying, "Venerable Chongjue is kind, but my disciples were injured while participating in the beast-hunting and still need treatment, so it's best not to delay. We can chat with you another time when there's an opportunity."
Having achieved his goal of separating them, Venerable Chongjue did not try to persuade them to stay any longer: "Very well, in that case, I will go and attend to the matters of the celebration. Huan Hui, please make good arrangements for the young friends of the Dingsheng Sect."
"Yes, Sect Master," Mu Huanhui replied.
Venerable Chongjue vanished in an instant. Ji Mingran, who was talking to his fellow disciples, turned around and glanced at the spot where Chongjue had stood. A thought flashed through his eyes.
Dong Lu said to her, "I will come to pick you up later."
Ji Mingran remained calm and nodded in response.
Dong Lu gave a few instructions and then led a group of Dingsheng Sect disciples away with the other Hongqi Sect disciples.
Ji Mingran and the other three followed Mu Huanhui in another direction.
Halfway there, Ji Mingran stopped: "This is not the direction of our previous residence."
Mu Huanhui seemed to have anticipated her question and explained, "This is the direction of the Xuanhuang Hall. The Xuanhuang Hall originally intended to provide a place for the fellow Daoists of Dingsheng Sect to rest, but the night before you came, the hall was attacked by out-of-control demons and ghosts in the sect valley, so we had to let you rest temporarily in the bamboo forest courtyard. Now that the rest of the Xuanhuang Hall has been cleaned up, we have arranged for you to rest there."
"We finally managed to tidy up our old courtyard, but we haven't even lived there for a few days," Guan Wangzhen complained. "Why didn't you tell us sooner that you would be changing our place? We wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble to tidy up."
It was obvious that they rushed to change venues because they won first place in the competition.
Ji Mingran said, "We're used to our old place, so we don't need to move."
"Although the courtyard is quiet, it is quite far from the resting places of the other participating disciples," Mu Huanhui advised. "Now that the Xuanhuan Hall has been renovated, it is much more comfortable to live in. Fellow Daoists, please come with me there."
"No need," the four said in unison.
Mu Huanhui hesitated for a moment, but seeing the four people persist, he thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll take you there now."
They turned in another direction and returned to the small courtyard where they had first come to Hongqizong.
The courtyard remained as secluded as before.
Approaching the courtyard, Ji Mingran took two quick steps and pushed open the door to enter.
The adjacent courtyard was deserted and empty.
He's really gone. After three days of exterminating the demonic beasts, Ji Mingran hadn't seen a single member of the Nameless Sect, and he already had a pretty good idea of their departure.
She had no time to search, intending to return to resolve the sect's grand formation issue before dealing with this matter. Now that she's back, she has a chance to truly confirm it.
“It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here,” Shen Qingluo said softly as she approached.
"Where is Bumingzong?" Guan Wangzhen craned his neck to look and said enviously, "They made it? Sigh, they're really fast. We were just a step too late."
Looking around, Zhu Shibai asked Mu Huanhui, "Aren't the fellow Daoists of the Nameless Sect going to participate in the celebration?"
Ignoring Guan Wangzhen's complaints, Mu Huanhui said calmly, "We didn't hear any trace of them during the battle to exterminate the beasts in the county town. Perhaps they left after coming out of the secret realm."
The extermination of demonic beasts was a spontaneous act by various sects and families. If the Unnamed Sect did not participate, at most they would be criticized for being unrighteous. However, the Unnamed Sect had been living in seclusion for many years and did not care about such matters. Not participating in the extermination of demonic beasts would not have any impact on them.
They came secretly, and they left secretly as well.
"You don't know either? What? He left without even saying goodbye." Guan Wangzhen said while secretly glancing at Ji Mingran's expression.
Zhu Shibai: "Perhaps it's due to the restrictions of the sect rules. The rules of different sects of spiritual cultivation are different. The Nameless Sect has been in seclusion for many years, so it must be strict in disciplining its disciples."
Shen Qingluo: "We might encounter each other again in future trials."
The three of them, chatting amongst themselves, escorted Ji Mingran back to their courtyard.
After explaining the details of the upcoming celebration, Mu Huanhui took his leave.
......
The atmosphere in the Qiankun Hall of the Hongqi Sect was solemn. The disciples inside bowed their heads and kept their eyes closed, not daring to make a sound.
The four disciples knelt inside the hall, heads bowed and silent.
One person entered the hall, bowed deeply to Venerable Chongjue, and then walked to the four kneeling disciples and knelt down with them.
After a long silence, Venerable Chongjue's voice, suppressing his anger, came from the head of the table: "How is it?"
"Master Donglu of Dingsheng Sect has settled down at Donglu Mountain within the sect with his disciples. The four people insisted on returning to the small courtyard in the bamboo forest on the mountain. Inner disciples have been stationed on both sides to observe secretly. If there is any movement, they will report back," Mu Huanhui reported in a low voice.
Venerable Chongjue sat in the seat of honor, his chest heaving with barely suppressed rage. His eyes, like tempered fire, fixed on the five Hongqi Sect disciples kneeling in the hall: "I placed high hopes on you, yet you have proven so disappointing! If it weren't for you, my sect's disciples wouldn't have had to stoop to following those destitute bastards!"
Upon hearing this, the five disciples kneeling in the hall turned pale and slammed their heads heavily onto the golden jade floor: "Disciples have no face to face the sect master, please punish us."
“Punishment? How can you be punished to make up for the losses of Hongqi Sect!” Venerable Chongjue’s eyes were like knives as he coldly stared at the kneeling disciples. “I have said that this competition cannot be lost.”
Seated inside the hall were thirteen elders of the Hongqi Sect. One of them tried to smooth things over, saying, "Sect Master, although they did not win first place, they brought out many precious treasures from the secret realm's prize pool. Let's not blame them too much."
“Yes!” Another elder of the Hongqi Sect said, “They were busy eliminating demonic beasts as soon as they came out. Before they could even treat their bleeding wounds, the five of them knelt down here on their own, waiting for you to come back and deal with them. Their cultivation has improved a lot after this experience, so why be so harsh on them?”
"Fifth Elder, Tenth Elder, I know you care about your disciples. They have the opportunity to participate in the Spiritual Cultivation Competition, so they should bear more responsibility than the other disciples. Winning first place is what they should do. In this competition, the spiritual cultivators are watching closely. Hongqi Sect has already lost face by failing to win first place, and now Dingsheng Sect has even surpassed them." The more Venerable Chongjue spoke, the more somber the spiritual pressure he released became.
Blood trickled from the corners of the lips of the disciples who were lying on the ground.
Several disciples beside him were trembling uncontrollably. Meng Yingyang, who had been kneeling on the ground with his eyes closed, said in a deep voice, "Master, my junior brothers have done their best. It was my shallow cultivation foundation that caused us to miss the opportunity. The responsibility lies with me..."
"Ying Yang," Chong Jue said coldly, "You think I won't punish you?"
As if his internal organs had been suddenly squeezed, Meng Yingyang's face turned deathly pale, and his whole body was soaked with cold sweat.
With veins bulging on his hands as he braced himself against the ground, Meng Yingyang strained to stay conscious and gritted his teeth, saying, "I am willing to take the punishment for my junior brother."
"Your Excellency." The female cultivator at the head of the left side of Venerable Chongjue said in a sharp voice, "The celebration is imminent, and they still need to participate on behalf of Hongqi. I hope you will show them mercy and allow them to make amends for their crimes."
“Fu Rong.” Chong Jue glanced at the female cultivator with a gloomy expression. Seeing that the female cultivator’s expression remained unchanged, he said, “Very well, since Fu Rong has pleaded for you, I will give you a chance.”
As the oppressive spiritual pressure dissipated, Mu Huanhui, who was kneeling on the ground, hurriedly helped Meng Yingyang up and seized the opportunity to interject, "Sect Master, the prize pool for this competition has actually appeared in the Boundless Sea. Senior Brother Meng has already done his best to protect us."
Fearing that Chongjue would interrupt him, he spoke very quickly: "The changes in the prize pool secret realm are unpredictable. Even with the guidance of the spiritual artifact, we still cannot enter the top prize area. Sect Master, you once said that the Nameless Sect would help us, but they boarded the ship of the Prosperous Sect instead. Ninety percent of the reason why the Prosperous Sect won the competition is because of them."
Chongjue's gaze was cold and sharp; what Mu Huanhui said was indeed reasonable.
If this prize pool secret realm hadn't opened in the abyss near the sea, causing him to leave the observation platform, he would never have allowed such a variable to occur in the competition! Nor would he have given Yu Tianxing an opportunity to cause trouble.
He directed all his anger at his disciple at the culprit.
“Bu Ming… Well, he really is something else.” Chong Jue’s eyes darkened, and he laughed angrily. “He dares to play games with me like this. Does he really think I can’t touch him?”
Meng Yingyang was standing up with Mu Huanhui's help when he paused.
he?
Meng Yingyang raised his eyes slightly, a question arising in his mind: Who was Master talking about?
Just as Fang Qi was guessing, Chong Jue sneered, "The Nameless Sect, ha, they can't escape. Hongqi Sect disciples, continue searching. Once you find that Ji-surname disciple from the Nameless Sect, report it to me immediately!"
"Yes, Sect Master," replied Mu Huanhui and the other disciples.
“When it rains, it pours. Those demonic cultivators actually dared to launch a sneak attack.” Venerable Chongjue said angrily, “That brat managed to find an opening and hide. He can’t escape the Hongqi Sect’s territory. As for the Dingsheng Sect, you all keep a close eye on it. Take advantage of the celebration to find out the whereabouts of the Spirit Stone. It would be best if we could retrieve it within the sect. If not…” Chongjue turned to the elder sitting to his right.
The elder with the hooked nose said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Venerable One, I will personally go to Dingsheng Sect this time, and the same thing will not happen again this time."
What happened last time... Meng Yingyang, head bowed, frowned. What does this refer to?
Moreover, according to Master's words, Hongqi Sect actually intends to seize the Spirit Stone of Dingsheng Sect. Why is that? This is clearly not a righteous act.
The Master's anger seemed to stem more from missing out on the top prize, the Spiritual Essence Stone, in this spiritual cultivation competition, rather than from Hongqi Sect failing to win first place.
With various doubts lingering in his mind, Meng Yingyang glanced at Venerable Chongjue, who was sitting in the seat of honor, as he was helped up by Mu Huanhui and others.
One glance was enough to send Meng Yingyang into a frenzy.
Chongjue, who was deep in thought with his eyes down, seemed to still be angry, his face twitching slightly.
No, it was wriggling. Beneath the twitching skin, something seemed to be surging up and down, stretching the skin so that it undulated slightly like waves.
No one dared to look directly at Chongjue in his rage, and no one noticed.
As if sensing the gaze, Chongjue lifted his lowered eyelids.
Meng Yingyang lowered his eyes subtly.
He thought to himself that perhaps it was due to his serious injuries that he misread the image.
He calmly said, "Master, please allow me to return and rest before going to the celebration."
The oppressive force suddenly pressed down on his back, causing Meng Yingyang to bend over.
Silence fell over the hall.
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