The next morning, the winter sunshine shone dappledly on the Beautiful Waters Manor through the gaps in the purple bamboo forest.
Under the introduction of Xu Qingping, the head of the SCO Palace, the four representatives of the Mortal Elder Pavilion Lineage, the four representatives of the pavilion, strode into the hall with several entourages carrying mahogany trees as gifts.
Zhang Huai was sitting on the rosewood chair in the hall, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand and looking calmly at the people who came in.
"Upper Harmony Mortal Elder Pavilion Mo Chenghai, Wei Zhen, Dai Xiangrong, Hou Guangyuan, see Lord Deacon."
The leader, Mr. Mo Chenghai, bowed slightly, with a kind smile on his face, and saluted with his hands clasped in fists.
The other three people also bowed deeply and saluted, giving Zhang Huai enough face.
Zhang Huai put down the tea cup and raised his hand to signal a few people to sit down. The guards following on both sides immediately carried the heavy mahogany gift box to the side of the hall.
Zhang Huai glanced at the gift boxes and narrowed his eyes slightly.
After a few people sat down, they chatted politely on the surface, with compliments in their words. The atmosphere in the hall was very cheerful for a while.
Mo Chenghai touched his chin, looked at Zhang Huai with a pair of eagle eyes, and tentatively asked.
"I don't know what the mission of Mr. Deacon is when he comes to visit me, Upper Harmony Prefectural City. I, Mortal Elder Pavilion, can give my full cooperation."
Zhang Huai took a sip of tea, looked calm, and explained the reason straightforwardly.
"This deacon was ordered by Saint to perform official duties at Yuan Pass Wasteland. Now, on his way back, he needs to use the teleportation array of Upper Harmony Prefectural City."
Hearing this, Mo Chenghai and several other Lineage elders looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
It turns out that Zhang Huai was just passing by Upper Harmony Prefectural City and was not here to investigate their local activities.
They know in their hearts that the things they do cannot stand up to scrutiny.
But at the same time, they were also extremely surprised that Zhang Huai actually had the destiny of Saint. They immediately put aside their contempt and took it seriously.
Mo Chenghai's brows furrowed vaguely.
Their batch of goods must be transported through the teleportation array early tomorrow morning, which conflicts with Zhang Huai who is eager to use the teleportation array.
Several Lineage elders also realized this.
Their expressions remained unchanged, and they communicated privately using Dao Consciousness voice transmission.
"What should we do? How about we activate the big formation tomorrow and let this person use the teleportation formation to leave?"
Wei Zhen asked via voice transmission.
"Absolutely not!"
Dai Xiangrong's voice is extremely decisive in sound transmission.
"The deadline given there is set for tomorrow. If the time is delayed and they no longer cooperate with us, then the four of us will suffer heavy losses!"
"Then you will go around with this Zhang Huai and try to persuade him to postpone his trip until the next day?"
Hou Guangyuan suggested.
"But the leyline energy storage of our city teleportation array can only be activated once a month. If we force it to be activated a second time the day after tomorrow, it will cost a massive amount of Earth Vein Dao Stones, which is a lot of money!"
Wei Zhen feels a little sore.
Mo Chenghai has the final say.
"This is the only way things can go now. It is acceptable to waste Earth Vein Dao Stones of our efforts together. We must not let this Zhang Huai ruin our big event!"
Several people had made up their minds, but on the surface they were still laughing and chatting with Zhang Huai over tea.
Mo Chenghai suddenly coughed, attracting the attention of Zhang Huai.
"Deacon Zhang has just arrived. Although the land in the Great Abyss is barren and the people are poor, there is still some scenery and culture in Shanghefu City."
"It's better to rest in the city for two more days, so that we can fulfill our friendship as landlords."
Zhang Huai frowned slightly. He was anxious to return to Central Province to treat his injuries, so he immediately waved his hand and refused.
He said that Saint Hall had urgent business matters and he did not have much time to stay here. He would like to thank several people for their kindness.
Seeing that Zhang Huai simply refused, Mo Chenghai had already expected it, so he had to use another prepared excuse.
"Your Excellency, I don't know. It's not that we are trying to shirk the responsibility. It's actually that the Fucheng teleportation array has not yet been fully charged."
"The earth veins under Upper Harmony Prefectural City have been unstable recently. For safety reasons, the formation will not be opened for use tomorrow."
Zhang Huai heard this, his brows furrowed deeply, and a look of disbelief flashed in his eyes.
He turned his head and looked directly at Xu Qingping, the master of Shanhe Palace who was smiling apologetically.
Xu Qingping was sitting on a bench on one side, his expression tightened, and he felt five eyes looking towards him.
One was Zhang Huai's questioning gaze, and the other four were the threatening gazes cast by the four Lineage elders at him.
Xu Qingping Cold sweat broke out from behind, and most of the inside was soaked.
After thinking about it for a while, he nodded to Zhang Huai.
"For the record, Mr. Deacon, it is true that as Mr. Mo Ge said, the land of Upper Harmony Prefectural City has been turned over frequently in recent days, and the ground veins are disordered. Even Heaven-Connecting Momentum-Borrowing Grand Array has been slightly affected, and it will take time to stabilize it."
Zhang Huai has nothing to do with SCO after he leaves, but he, the head of the palace, still works in SCO!
If you offend four families, life will be difficult in the future.
Hearing Xu Qingping say this himself, Zhang Huai, although still a little skeptical, had no choice but to nod in agreement.
"In that case, I'll set off the next day, deacon."
The plan succeeded. Several Lineage elders looked at each other cryptically and breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.
The goal had been achieved, and they no longer stayed. After getting up, they left the boxes of heavy gifts and hurriedly said goodbye.
Zhang Huai turned his head and looked at Chen Xian, who was sitting on the side without saying a word, his expression full of helplessness.
"It seems that the plan can't keep up with the change, and the return trip will be delayed by another day."
Chen Xian shook his head indifferently.
"It doesn't matter if one day is more or less, then I will take a walk in this Upper Harmony City and appreciate the local customs."
After that, Chen Xian took Blackie Little White out for shopping together.
Until nightfall.
"Tap, step."
A burst of brisk footsteps passed through the bamboo forest and stepped on the white sand and stone path, which seemed very abrupt.
Two figures wrapped in black robes hurried over.
The two elite soldiers of the City Guard army who were guarding the outside of the gate instantly held down their spears.
"Who is this? This is a forbidden area and no one is allowed to enter."
"This is the Mortal Elder Pavilion talisman. We have something important to report to the deacon."
One of the men in black robes took out a token.
After checking by firelight, the captain who led the patrol did not dare to be careless and hurriedly ran to the door of the study room and clasped his fists to communicate.
"Master Zhang, Mr. Mortal Elder Pavilion asked to see you late at night."
Zhang Huai, who was leaning on the Grand Master's chair, suddenly opened his eyes, moved his eyes slightly, and whispered softly, "Didn't I visit during the day?
After hesitating for two seconds, he still shouted, "Let them come in."
After a while, the door opened silently, and a few broken bamboo leaves rolled into the study room mixed with the cold wind outside.
Two men in black robes squeezed in.
The hems of their clothes were stained with night dew, as if they were sneaking along.
Under Zhang Huai's vigilant eyes, the two opened their hoods.
They were two old men I had never met before.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, they knelt straight on one knee on the cold floor without any hesitation.
"Upper Harmony Mortal Elder Pavilion Mr. Zou Yi, Guo Yunfan, please see the deacon!!"
The voices of the two pavilion elders were hoarse, with a slight tremor, and they seemed a little excited.
Seeing the two people giving this grand gift as soon as they arrived, Zhang Huai hurriedly raised his hand to signal.
"Please get up quickly, the two pavilion bosses. You Mortal Elder Pavilion, the big pavilion boss, Mo Chenghai, they just visited this deacon in the morning. Why are you two pavilion bosses here late at night?"
Zou Yi flicked his long sleeves and stood up suddenly.
"No matter what those Mo Chenghai people said to you during the day, I hope you will not believe it!"
Guo Yunfan echoed, "Sir! What those beasts Mo Chenghai said are all farts!"
Zhang Huai was stunned and didn't understand why these two people and Mo Chenghai seemed so uncooperative as they were both Pavilion elders.
He suddenly remembered what Xu Qingping said yesterday, and now Upper Harmony Mortal Elder Pavilion is divided into two groups.
Mo Chenghai They are the Lineage faction.
Then these two people should be from another faction, so these two people may be more trustworthy than Mo Chenghai.
"I wonder what Mo Chenghai said to the adults during the day?" Zou Yi asked.
Zhang Huai hesitated for a moment and briefly recounted the conversation during the day to the two of them.
As soon as he finished speaking, the two of them suddenly blushed.
"The unstable earth veins and the earth dragon turning over are all lies used to deceive adults!!"
"They are stalling for time!!"
Zou Yi took a step forward and pointed outside the study, his fingers trembling.
"I hope you will learn clearly that the four ancestors of the Mo, Wei, Dai, and Hou families have now controlled the ownership of the Mortal Elder Pavilion
handle."
"They control the teleportation array in order to transport what they call goods."
Zhang Huai leaned forward, curious in his heart.
"What kind of goods is it?"
Zou Yi suddenly closed his eyes, with a few deep dry wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes, his expression was painful, and his voice was hoarse.
"Those goods----are actually living people!!"
"They are ordinary people who cannot afford Abyss Sacrifice Tax, disaster-stricken refugees, and even some low-level Rogue Cultivator warriors who have no roots!"
"The four Lineage used Mortal Elder Pavilion's power over the secular world to label these people as sinners and imprison them in Fucheng Prison."
"Every month, a teleportation array will be opened to send these people away as cargo."
Zou Yi's voice became smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared completely.
Zhang Huai asked, "Send away? Where?"
"As far as I know, Myriad Beast Abyss was sent in, or Abyssal Rift, one of Myriad Beast Abyss." Guo Yunfan explained.
Hearing this, Zhang Huai's eyes widened. He thought of the group of people he met on the road when he came to SCO.
He and Chen Xian speculated that Beast Realm, one of the Myriad Beast Abyss parties, was probably the stronghold of Void Demon.
Now that various clues have come together, the possibilities are even greater.
Void Demon not only infiltrated Great Abyss Dynasty, but even Upper Harmony Mortal Elder Pavilion was connected to it!
Sure enough, what Guo Yunfan said next confirmed Zhang Huai's guess, "Sir, do you know who they are trading with? They are a group of green-faced and fanged monsters, they are simply not human beings!!"
Guo Yunfan word by word, the old teeth clenched loudly.
"A hundred years ago, the old immortal Mo Chenghai was stuck in Dao Sect First Layer and was about to die of old age."
"Later, he contacted the group of inhuman monsters through unknown channels, obtained a precious medicine, and successfully extended his life to this day."
"Since then, Mo Chenghai secretly colluded with three other Lineages and began to continuously trade with those monsters."
"Over the past hundred years, the number of mortals and Rogue Cultivator warriors who have been transported into Myriad Beast Abyss as cargo exceeds millions!!"
"Every time the transaction ends, those monsters will give a lot of training resources to the four Lineage people."
"This time I lied to keep you safe, just to transport a group of people out tomorrow without anyone noticing, in exchange for their four Lineage cultivation resources!!"
"Bang!"
"That makes no sense!"
Zhang Huai knocked over the desk and stood up suddenly.
He was so angry that the Seal-Soul Thirteen Needles in his body was stimulated, and even a small section protruded outside his body.
Then there was a faint tiger roar from the Dantian, as if something was about to break through.
"Pfft."
Zhang Huai spat out a large mouthful of blood, instantly staining the ground red.
"These traitorous beasts who betrayed their own people and supported foreigners should be cut into pieces by a thousand cuts!"
Zhang Huai grabbed the armrest of the chair with his right hand, and with the force of his five fingers, he pinched the hard wooden handle and made dented fingerprints. His whole body panted violently and his body shook.
"Sir!" Zou Yi and Guo Yunfan were shocked and didn't understand Zhang Huai what was going on.
"I'm coming!"
Zhao Ke on the side quickly stepped over to Zhang Huai.
He fired several bursts of spiritual power in succession and injected Soul-Sealing Needles into the acupuncture point again, thus preventing the seal from collapsing.
Zhang Huai clutched his chest and slowly fell back to the chair. Veins popped up on his forehead, but he still couldn't calm down.
He never expected that Void Demon, which Saint Hall had been guarding against for thousands of years, would actually open a gap in Yuan Pass Wasteland!
"These beasts are wearing human skins in vain. I am the deacon of the Saint Hall. I patrol for the saints and monitor the whole area. I will never sit idly by."
Zhang Huai closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes had become cold and firm.
He raised his head and looked at Chen Xian standing on one side.
"Brother Chen, I'm afraid they are really going to take action this time. If we let them continue to do this, I, Saint Hall, will also become a laughing stock."
Chen Xian sneered, "Just kill a few maggots."
Zhang Huai let out a long breath, supported the table, and solemnly raised his hands to Chen Xian.
Knowing that Chen Xian has extraordinary strength, Zhang Huai looked at Zou Yi.
"Thank you both for coming to report."
"I will handle this matter myself tomorrow."
"When the formation starts tomorrow, I want to see if the bones of these four Lineage are as hard as their mouths."
"Two pavilion elders, please help me cooperate with our investigation tomorrow. Saint Hall will never tolerate this matter easily!"
"Before I leave SCO, I will root out this cancer."
Hearing Zhang Huai's firm reply, Zou Yi and Guo Yunfan looked at each other and both breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems they both made the right bet this time.
This deacon is more just and strict than they imagined.
The people of SCO will finally be saved.
"Don't worry, sir! I will fully cooperate with the investigation! If I don't kill Mo Chenghai, I will never die in peace!"
The two Zou Yi looked solemn, clasped their fists and accepted the order, and then quietly exited Beautiful Waters Manor under the cover of the night.
Zhang Huai stared at Saint Hall Token in his hand solemnly.
This time on Central Province's trip, there were far more maggots and debris on the road than he imagined.