The black-robed man brought Ma Guang and the other two back to the inn, heading straight for Yan Chihuo's room. He sent a voice transmission: "Fellow Daoist, Qin Guan, Chief Protector of the Earth Spirit Sect, requests an audience."
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice came from within. "The door isn't locked. Please come in."
The black-robed man led Ma Guang and the other two inside, where Yan Chihuo was seated upright in the room.
Seeing the four of them, Yan Chihuo said, "Please, have a seat. This is merely a temporary lodging of mine, so forgive any poor hospitality."
Qin Guan smiled. "No matter." As he spoke, he took out a jade slip and said, "Back when the Earth Spirit Sect first established Four Directions City, I personally submitted the petition to Jade Clear Palace. By chance, I encountered Feng Yi, the third elder and a consecrated elder of Jade Clear Palace, and recorded the matter with a projection technique. You should recognize that this jade slip is the original version. It can prove my identity, because neither the Five Fowl Sect nor the Earth Spirit Sect would dare borrow Jade Clear Palace's name. To do so would be to seek their own doom."
He got straight to the point, immediately producing proof of his identity. This won Yan Chihuo a measure of goodwill. Taking the jade slip, Yan Chihuo swept it with his magic power, and an oasis appeared in his sea of consciousness. There were a city, a market district, and mountain ranges. Within the mountains stood a sect, whose mountain gate bore a plaque inscribed with three words: "Jade Clear Hall."
It was exactly as he remembered. Then, a group of Cultivators appeared, led by none other than the Qin Guan before him. He