Inside the secret chamber, Chu Huai Xu's thoughts raced.
He made a bold guess first, then planned to find a way to verify it carefully.
At that moment, he had no idea how much of a commotion he had caused.
More and more cultivators gathered outside the Cold Pool.
Large numbers of Sword Cultivators converged there. Of the nine stewards in the Outer Sect, all but the two who had gone down the mountain had arrived.
The female steward Mo Qingmei stood together with another female Outer Sect steward, Tang Qiuyue.
Mo Qingmei still possessed a mature charm, while Tang Qiuyue was rather plump but looked amiable enough.
"I wonder what's going on. I only know that the Sword Spirit feels extremely excited," Mo Qingmei said to Tang Qiuyue.
"Excited?" Tang Qiuyue found it strange. She was not a Sword Cultivator, so she looked toward the other woman's sword.
She could not see anything at all.
Large numbers of Sword Cultivator disciples had gathered beside the Cold Pool.
Like the two women, most of them held their Destined Swords and discussed matters with one another, chattering away.
The noise here was no less than that of the Outer Sect marketplace.
In theory, when a Heaven and Earth Anomaly appeared in the Outer Sect and so many disciples gathered there, several stewards should have taken charge of the situation.
However, the stewards were just as confused and had no idea what was happening.
When Liu Tianfeng faced his colleagues' questions, he did not know how to explain it either.
"For a Secret Realm of this level, there's no reason for it to cause such a huge commotion, right?" said Steward Wang.
"Brother Liu, you said your son Chengqi is still inside the Secret Realm? Could it be that he obtained some great opportunity?" Steward Chen asked with a beaming smile.
Niu Yuanshan listened from the side. He glanced at the Cold Pool but did not offer his opinion.
He did not believe that all this had been caused by that boy Liu Chengqi.
"A fellow who began indulging in self-destruction after damaging his Spirit Fetus, and whose temperament has already been ruined—does he deserve such a thing?" Old Niu sneered inwardly.
Listening to everyone's words, Liu Tianfeng smiled bitterly. "This Heaven and Earth Anomaly only affected the Spirit Swords. It doesn't involve anything else."
"My son Chengqi isn't a Sword Cultivator, either!"
Mo Qingmei, who stood on the other side, immediately asked, "Then which of the three people beneath the Cold Pool is a Sword Cultivator?"
"Junior Sister Mo, you may not know this, but only those without Spiritual Power can enter this Secret Realm. They're all disciples at the Aperture Opening Stage. How could there be a Sword Cultivator?" Niu Yuanshan, who had remained silent until then, explained.
He had been pretending to be dead at the side just now, but from time to time, he had glanced at Mo Qingmei from the corner of his eye.
Hearing him speak to her, Mo Qingmei replied indifferently, "Oh. Got it."
Hearing her tone, Tang Qiuyue could not help lightly nudging her with an elbow.
It's not as if Senior Brother Niu did anything wrong by being rejected after confessing. So many years have passed, yet she still won't give him a pleasant look. Tang Qiuyue grumbled inwardly.
After the stewards discussed the matter a few more times, Liu Tianfeng, the oldest and the person most closely connected to it, made the decision first:
"We must report this to the Inner Sect elders. An astonishing Anomaly of this level is beyond our ability to handle."
He was still somewhat worried about his son. He felt that if an elder were there to protect him, nothing would go wrong.
As soon as he finished speaking, a young girl's voice came from the highest heavens.
"There's no need to report it specially. Haven't I already come?"
Tenth Elder Chu Yinyin descended from the sky with her hands behind her back and landed on an ancient tree beside the Cold Pool.
Her body developed slowly, leaving her short. Yet her strength and status surpassed those of the vast majority of people, so she disliked looking up at others. She often chose to stand somewhere high when speaking.
"Tenth Elder!" Everyone gathered there hurriedly bowed in greeting.
As everyone knew, the Tenth Elder possessed the least authority among the Inner Sect elders.
But she also had the worst temper.
Although she never admitted it, her Cultivation Method had affected her disposition, making her act like a rebellious young girl at times.
Chu Yinyin was like a cat that could easily fluff up and lash out.
"Tell me who's inside the Secret Realm." She frowned and stared intently at the Cold Pool.
"Reporting to Elder, there are still three Registered Disciples inside the Secret Realm. They are Chu Huai Xu, Han Shuangjiang, and my son Liu Chengqi," Liu Tianfeng immediately replied.
"Registered Disciples? Aren't they at the Aperture Opening Stage?" Chu Yinyin froze for a moment. "Could Shen Man have made a mistake?"
Hearing her mention the Seventh Elder, everyone exchanged looks.
Ever since the Seventh Elder obtained the Dao Ancestor Inheritance, had she not been confining herself within the Purple Bamboo Forest? It had already been a year, hadn't it?
This Heaven and Earth Anomaly had even alarmed the people in the Purple Bamboo Forest?
Liu Tianfeng hurriedly exchanged glances with Niu Yuanshan, and both their hearts tightened.
How could this Secret Realm have caused such a huge commotion?
The Seventh Elder had ignored worldly affairs for a year. Could even she, one of the Four Great Divine Swords, be this concerned?
Most importantly, no one knew what had happened inside.
"Could my son Chengqi really have obtained an opportunity? I hope he hasn't encountered any danger." Liu Tianfeng felt as if he were going mad. This uncertainty was unbearable.
Niu Yuanshan was also somewhat worried about Chu Huai Xu's safety.
In the end, Liu Tianfeng steeled himself and dared to ask, "Tenth Elder, my son Chengqi is still inside. May I ask boldly what exactly the Heaven and Earth Anomaly just now was about? Please enlighten us, Elder."
Actually, without Shen Man's explanation, Chu Yinyin would not have known that this had been caused by Clear Heart Sword.
But now that she had a chance to show off secondhand knowledge, how could she pass it up?
Standing on the ancient tree, she put on a profound expression. Her hands remained behind her back as she gazed quietly at the Cold Pool without looking at anyone.
"It's normal for cultivators of your realm not to know."
"That profound ripple just now was—"
Everyone present looked up at Chu Yinyin. They noticed that although her mouth kept moving, no one could hear the final few words!
Chu Yinyin suddenly raised her head and pointed at the highest heavens, cursing loudly, "Xiang Yan, you actually used a Sound-Sealing Array on me!"
"If you won't let me say it, I'll say it anyway!"
"This ripple was—"
They could hear everything she said before, but the final few words were silenced again.
"Xiang Yan! You die for me!" Chu Yinyin grabbed her Spirit Sword, Xiang Jian Huan, and shot straight into the sky.
The Outer Sect members were left trembling beside the Cold Pool, then began discussing among themselves.
"The Sect Leader was actually alarmed?"
"This must be a secret!"
"What happened? Even the Sect Leader came personally. Could there be a Dao Ancestor Inheritance beneath us?"
"Watch your words! It could also be the inheritance of some mighty Sword Cultivator!"
All kinds of chaotic voices rang out, and Liu Tianfeng's expression shifted unpredictably.
He suddenly regretted giving the fragments of the Pill King Token Fragment to Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang.
"It's fine, it's fine. Until now, no one knows what the situation inside is. My son still has a chance. He still has a chance!" he consoled himself.
As for the others gathered nearby, most had heard of Steward Liu's son, Liu Chengqi.
But they were utterly unfamiliar with the names Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang.
Everyone silently memorized those two names.
Who below the Cold Pool had been fortunate enough to trigger such an Anomaly?
High above the nine heavens, Sect Leader Xiang Yan of the Dao Sect stood with his hands behind his back, floating above the clouds.
Several elders, including Li Chunsong, stood beside him, all keeping their distance for safety.
Chu Yinyin soon charged up to them.
Xiang Yan, who was at the Eighth Realm, did not move at all. His aura circulated around him, and although Chu Yinyin swung her sword wildly, its edge could not approach within a foot of him.
Everyone understood the situation. Junior Sister's terrible temper came quickly and left just as quickly.
After venting her emotions, Chu Yinyin returned her sword to its sheath. Since she could not hit him anyway, she could only snort, "Hmph! I can't be bothered with you!"
Xiang Yan's bald head was truly ugly. It looked as if someone had drawn an extremely hideous face on a dark braised egg.
He smiled ingratiatingly at Chu Yinyin and said, "Don't be angry, Junior Sister. Don't be angry."
"But this matter is of great importance. Don't let it spread," he said.
The Senior Brother who served as the Enforcement Elder immediately chimed in. Lu Pan said, "Junior Sister, don't break the rules!"
"Got it, got it!" Chu Yinyin waved impatiently.
She secretly pricked up her ears. In truth, she also wanted to hear what her senior brothers and sisters had to say.
"Shen Man said this was an Anomaly caused by Clear Heart Sword, but there are no Sword Cultivators beneath the Cold Pool." She began to doubt it. "Maybe secluded cultivation made her stupid. Shen Man was already pretty stupid to begin with."
Then, a scene that infuriated her appeared once more.
Just like last time in the main hall of Inquiry Peak, they had actually set up a Formation again, preventing her from hearing what they were saying!
All she could do was watch from the side as the dignified Peak of the Sixth Realm cultivator and Tenth Elder of the Dao Sect began struggling to read their lips.
"No way! Did that damn bald head just say Clear Heart Sword? What were the next two words?"
"Nangong Yue, you shameless woman! What did that gambler say to make you so happy? Your chest is shaking from all that laughter! I'm getting dizzy from the sight!"
"Ahhh! Why won't you let me hear!"
"Are people below the Seventh Realm not considered human?"
"If you keep treating me like this, believe it or not, I'll break through a realm right now and show you!" She was frantic. Completely frantic.
Soon, Xiang Yan and the others finished discussing the matter. With a wave of his hand, he withdrew the Formation.
"We must ask Seventh Junior Sister about this. Come, let's go to the Purple Bamboo Forest together," Sect Leader Xiang Yan said.
"I'm not going. Go without me. You won't let me hear anything anyway!" Chu Yinyin began throwing a tantrum.
The Enforcement Elder Lu Pan glanced at her and nodded. "You don't have to go, but the rules cannot be broken."
With that, he waved his hand and placed another Sound-Sealing Array on Chu Yinyin, silencing her so she would not fly back to cause trouble and stir up chaos across the mountain.
After doing this, everyone laughed and flew toward the Purple Bamboo Forest.
Chu Yinyin alone remained in the air, going berserk. Yet her voice could not travel out. "What? You're really not taking me?"
"Ahhh! Remove this Sound-Sealing Array!" She felt as if she were truly going mad, looking just like a fluffed-up cat.
The Enforcement Elder Lu Pan was exceptionally skilled in Formations and was one of the few Formation Grandmasters in the world. His Formations were far more formidable than Xiang Yan's.
In the end, Chu Yinyin could only grit her teeth resentfully and chase after them toward the Purple Bamboo Forest.
By the time she landed, everyone had arrived long ago and had already begun talking.
Xiang Yan seemed to have asked something, and everyone was looking at Shen Man as they waited for her reply.
The aloof, slender Daoist Nun still sat high atop the boulder, facing the stone wall and confining herself within the marked boundary.
She remained silent for a long time. An expression of helplessness appeared on her face, and her eyes softened, carrying a trace of indulgence.
She lightly flicked a finger, and the Sound-Sealing Array that Chu Yinyin had been utterly unable to break shattered with a crisp sound.
(ps: Second update. Please vote for me with your monthly tickets.)
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