A few days later, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Mountain Gate.
After several days of trekking and a heart-wrenching journey, Elder Chen finally returned to the familiar yet unfamiliar sect. The mountain gate is still majestic, but the gate is much deserted, and the former glaze has also dimmed a bit. Reconstructed scaffolding can be seen everywhere, and the air is filled with the smell of earth and herbs. It is a sign that the trauma is slowly healing, but it is also a constant reminder of the past suffering.
As soon as he stepped into the square in front of the main hall of the sect, the elder Ning Bo, who had been staying at the sect and waiting anxiously, hurriedly greeted him. Seeing Elder Chen's safe return, a trace of relief flashed in Ning Bo's eyes, but was immediately replaced by an uncontrollable joy. He walked closer quickly, lowered his voice, and there was obvious excitement in his tone:
"Elder Chen! You are finally back! You have worked hard all the way! There is great news - that 'sir' suddenly left the day after you left! He left in a hurry, and only said to the disciple on duty, 'I have something to go out for,' and then he never came back!
We've done an inventory in the warehouse, and there's nothing missing! The disciple on duty also said he didn't see anything unusual! He... he really left! We... we finally..."
Ning Bo's voice was trembling with excitement, and his face was suddenly relaxed after being suppressed for a long time, with a mixture of joy and disbelief.
In his opinion, the god of plague finally took the initiative to leave, which was simply a blessing in the sect's misfortune. It was the biggest stone in his heart that had been removed!
He even began to feel that Elder Chen's alliance with "Holy Sword" might have turned out to be a turn of events, and even this terrible "overseer" disappeared on its own.
Elder Chen stopped, looking at the undisguised joy on Ning Bo's face, and listening to the "great good news" he said, but his heart felt cold, and there was even an indescribable sense of bitterness and absurdity. There was no smile on his dusty face, only the fatigue after a long journey, and a deeper worry that was engraved in his bones.
"Leave? Where did you go? Of course, you went to Sylvie City, to the headquarters of "Holy Sword"! And, in a more direct and "justifiable" way, you stayed there!
Ning Bo, Ning Bo, and the rest of the sect, do you think we have escaped from the sea of suffering? No... we just jumped from a cage that was under open surveillance into another sea of suffering!"
Elder Chen roared silently in his heart. After Sylvie City's experience, especially after confirming the identity of Yo-Yo Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast and its relationship with Kraken, he had already understood that the fate of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was never truly in his own hands.
Before, they were forced to cooperate and monitor, but now they seem to take refuge on their own initiative, but in fact they are under a deeper shadow Entanglement. The "boss"'s layout is far-reaching and his methods are unpredictable, far beyond their previous imagination.
Even the successors of Angel Martial Soul like Ye Qingning seem to be under his observation and even "investment". What does their small, broken Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect mean?
By relying on "Holy Sword", it seems that you have found a new backing and are getting rid of the direct threat. But this backing itself may not be clean, at least it has inextricable and unclear connections with the deep sea.
They presented a "letter of surrender" and received asylum, but it was equivalent to tying themselves to "Holy Sword". Once the undercurrent stirs up Surging Waves waves, the first ones to bear the brunt will probably be their "allies" who seem to have found a "new home".
"Really? That's really... great." Elder Chen reluctantly twitched the corners of his mouth and responded in a dry voice. The word "good" was said without any weight, and even contained a subtle tremor.
He did not dare to tell Ning Bo the truth about Sylvie City, at least not now. It would be too terrible and too despairing. Once leaked, it would not only lead to disaster, but also cause the sect that had just seen a glimmer of light to fall completely into the abyss of despair.
He must continue to act, for the sake of the sect, and also to... live.
"Elder Chen, you... you don't look good. Did your trip go well? Over there at 'Holy Sword'..." Ning Bo noticed Elder Chen's abnormality, his joy subdued, and he asked with concern.
"Smooth, very smooth." Elder Chen took a deep breath and forced himself to cheer up. His face regained some of its previous calmness, but the fatigue and heaviness in his eyes lingered, "Your Majesty Saintess Hall and Grandmaster Ye accepted our gift list and initially agreed to our sect's attachment... Well, the invitation to form an alliance.
The specific details need to be discussed in detail later, but the general intention has been set. From today on, I, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, will act as 'Holy Sword' to fight against evil spirits and protect the light."
He stated the results in the most positive and "official" tone, temporarily omitting the thrilling details.
When Ning Bo heard this, his face became even more joyful, and he breathed a long sigh of relief, "Great! Elder Chen, you have worked hard! There is a big tree like 'Holy Sword', and there is Saintess shelters me, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and there is hope for revival! I will go and inform all the elders and deacons, prepare relevant matters, and... celebrate the departure of the 'God of Plague'!"
"Well, you go ahead and make arrangements. Keep it low-key, and you won't have to celebrate. Nowadays, the sect is full of waste and it is not appropriate to make it public." Elder Chen waved his hand, with an undeniable tiredness in his tone, "I am a little tired, so I will go back to the quiet room to rest for a while. Later in the evening, the core elders will be summoned to discuss the specific regulations for connecting with 'Holy Sword'."
"Yes, Elder Chen, please have a good rest first!" Ning Bo quickly agreed, looking at the slightly stooped and heavy leaving figure of Elder Chen. Although there was a trace of doubt in his heart, it was more of a longing for the future. The god of plague is gone, and a new backer has been found. What better news could there be than this?
Elder Chen was alone, walking slowly towards his quiet room. The disciples he met along the way saluted him respectfully, with respect and expectation in their eyes for the acting sect master who managed to support him in the crisis. But he only felt that those eyes were so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
Pushing open the door of the quiet room, the familiar coldness and loneliness rushed into his face. He closed the door with his backhand, leaned his back against the cold door panel, and slowly slid to the ground, as if all his strength had been drained away.
There were no lights in the quiet room, only the dim skylight filtering through the window. Elder Chen sat in the shadows, covering his face with his hands, and his shoulders were shaking almost unnoticeably.
Ye Qingning...Angel Martial Soul..."Holy Sword"... light and hope... what a beautiful word, what a banner of justice. But who knows that under this light, there are already tentacles of the deep sea quietly Entanglement.
We thought we had fallen into the embrace of light, but we didn't know if we were stepping into another carefully woven net that used light as bait. Kraken... What exactly do you want to get from this chaos on the mainland? And where do you place me, Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, on this chessboard?
He put down his hands, revealing his bloodshot eyes filled with exhaustion and deep worry, and looked out the window at the leaden sky.
I escaped from the sea of suffering that Mingming was sitting on, but jumped into a deeper and more inescapable undercurrent. Is this Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and I, Chen Wenyuan, destined to be an inescapable fate?