In the past few days, two major events had taken place in Huoyan Valley.
First: The Great Elder, who had kept the sect in check for nearly a hundred years and never once set foot outside Moyun City, had inexplicably decided to travel abroad.
He summoned the disciples, handed out some belongings, gave them a few brief instructions, then had them prepare his escape light. He floated away with an air of carefree elegance.
The Great Elder's decision naturally stirred much discussion within the sect. Many disciples couldn't understand why he had suddenly taken it into his head to leave Huoyan Valley.
They had to remember that after the Black Tide upheaval, Jiang Yan had destroyed the Wuliang Sword Sect. Huoyan Valley had seized the opportunity to swallow up the power vacuum left behind and take control of all Moyun City.
But its control was tenuous at best.
In truth, under Moyun Prefecture's placid surface, currents ran deep. Countless small sects and influential clans were taking advantage of the Sword Sect's collapse to seize all kinds of benefits.
Some had even clashed with Huoyan Valley.
At such a critical moment, Huoyan Valley badly needed its own Extremity Realm martial artist to keep the peace. Yet the Great Elder had chosen to travel abroad.
Such behavior was truly unwise.
That was merely what ordinary disciples thought. The Great Elder's trusted disciples, however, knew the truth.
Ever since the news that Jiang Yan had wiped out the Hengdao Sect reached the Great Elder's ears, he had fallen silent.
The very next day, the Great Elder left Huoyan Valley.
He claimed to be traveling, but in truth, he was going into hiding.
The Great Elder was deeply worried that Jiang Yan, that harbinger of death, might take a dislike to him one day