Paying Respects to the Venerable

With these words, the great hall finally quieted down a little.

Some elders still felt it was inappropriate, but for the moment, there was no other way.

After all, even the Innate Realm expert stationed at the Jingyun Sect had been dispatched.

At this point, some elders were still confused, so they simply asked directly.

"The Young Sect Master has always stayed within the sect; why would she suddenly run off to Beast Taming Mountain, and even take several old fellows from the Alchemy Hall with her? What on earth is she up to?"

This elder took the lead.

Many others also voiced their own questions one after another.

Indeed!

It made no sense.

The Young Sect Master had always stayed in the sect to cultivate; with her Xiantian constitution, she could have cultivated to the Innate Realm without any obstacles.

By that time, with the world so vast, where could she not go?

To run around at such a turbulent juncture in the world—wasn't this just adding trouble for everyone?

However.

Complaints were just complaints; there was more concern than anything else.

After all, Meng Tangtang was the apple of the eye for all the high-level officials of the Jingyun Sect. If anything were to happen to her, the entire Jingyun Sect would be shaken to its core.

Had they not seen that even the Supreme Elder, who had long since stopped concerning himself with worldly affairs, had rushed out in a panic to intervene personally?

"This..."

Elder Hao had only just received the news himself and did not know how to answer.

"I do know a little about this matter."

At this moment, an elder from the Logistics Department spoke up.

Seeing everyone turn their gazes toward him, he wore a bitter smile and began, "I can guess a few reasons why the Young Sect Master went to Beast Taming Mountain."

"About half a month ago, the Young Sect Master came to see me, saying she needed medicinal herbs for alchemy. At the time, I thought the Young Sect Master was just bored and wanted to learn alchemy... I didn't take it seriously, but I didn't expect her to demand half of all the herbs in the Logistics Department in one go."

"How could that be allowed?"

The Logistics Department elder shook his head and continued, "I refused on the spot. If it had been a small amount, I would have given it to her, but with such a large quantity of herbs, the sect has great use for them. How could I just let her take them to squander..."

"When this girl saw I wouldn't give them to her, she became relentless."

"She insisted on asking me how she could obtain the herbs, and a large amount at that!"

"In my helplessness, I casually mentioned that Beast Taming Mountain had previously opened the defense lines of the Ten Thousand Beast Canyon, causing our sect heavy losses, and they ought to pay compensation. Plus, with the world in turmoil recently, we hadn't even had the chance to settle accounts with Beast Taming Mountain yet!"

"The sect hadn't reached a conclusion on this matter, who would have thought..."

As he said this, the gazes of the crowd gradually turned strange.

They clearly guessed something. Damn it, so it was you old rascal who tricked the Young Sect Master into going to Beast Taming Mountain.

The Logistics Department elder smiled bitterly.

It really wasn't his fault; it was just a coincidence.

If he had said those words at any other time, there would have been nothing wrong with them.

"Sigh, forget it, forget it. This matter cannot be blamed on you. We also didn't expect Beast Taming Mountain to have such wolfish ambitions."

"I hope the Supreme Elder and the others have a smooth journey and can bring the Young Sect Master and the others back..."

Hearing this, Elder Hao was also left between laughter and tears.

That girl Meng Tangtang was truly impulsive in her actions.

The Jingyun Sect was indeed in the right, but even if they were to demand compensation, they should have discussed a plan together, right? Plus, with the current severe shortage of manpower, the matter had been temporarily shelved.

Meng Tangtang, however, simply went on her own.

Oh, wait, she even took several Alchemy Hall elders with her, and she left without even notifying the sect.

She probably hadn't expected anything to go wrong herself.

She must have thought she would be back soon.

"Ultimately, the root of this matter lies with Beast Taming Mountain..."

The incident involving Meng Tangtang and the others was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even without Meng Tangtang, the Jingyun Sect would have sent someone to collect that debt sooner or later.

The outcome would have been much the same.

It was just that now that the Jingyun Sect's precious treasure was the one involved, it made things a headache.

"Bang!"

Just then, the tightly closed hall doors were blown open with a roar, and an unprecedentedly oppressive aura swept in, instantly shrouding the entire hall.

"Meng Tangtang is at Beast Taming Mountain?"

The crowd looked up in terror, wanting to speak, only to find that they could not move their bodies at all, nor could they even make a sound; only their eyes could move.

A hazy figure, radiating an aura that made one tremble, stepped through the air from outside the hall.

Before the person arrived, his voice preceded him.

The thunderous tone seemed to resonate directly within everyone's hearts, leaving their minds buzzing.

Every pair of eyes was filled with profound shock.

A single thought surfaced in everyone's mind simultaneously: What kind of terrifying existence was this, and why had he suddenly descended upon the Jingyun Sect?

The person who arrived was none other than Lin Cheng.

However, compared to his appearance at the Alchemy Hall, he now concealed his face, though he made no effort to hide his cultivation aura.

The aura of the Foundation Establishment realm pressed down on everyone's hearts like a towering mountain, making it difficult to breathe.

Just moments ago outside the hall, Lin Cheng had heard every word spoken by the elder of the Logistics Department.

He learned that Meng Tangtang had been detained by Beast Taming Mountain.

Though furious, Lin Cheng remained calm, focusing only on how to rescue her.

But when he realized that Meng Tangtang had gone to Beast Taming Mountain to demand compensation solely to gather medicinal herbs for him, a complex and indescribable feeling surged in his heart.

In an instant, Lin Cheng was consumed by rage.

His terrifying aura swept outward uncontrollably, leading to the scene that had just unfolded.

"Beast Taming Mountain... such audacity!!"

Lin Cheng was beyond furious.

He slowly reined in his aura, though his eyes grew increasingly cold.

"Venerable One..."

The few elders, having finally recovered their composure, exchanged glances filled with terror and shock.

Walking on air—a Foundation Establishment Venerable!

Moreover, this aura was certainly not something a novice in the Foundation Establishment realm could possess; even that person from the Five Elements Sect was nowhere near this terrifying.

Just a moment ago, cold sweat had poured down everyone's backs as they felt countless sharp killing intents shroud them, making them feel as though they could lose their lives at any second.

This person's strength was absurdly high.

While the crowd was still reeling, Elder Hao was the first to react. The stranger had mentioned Meng Tangtang—could he have come for this matter?

Thinking this, Elder Hao suddenly grew excited.

He thought of someone!

That senior from the Library Pavilion!

For some time now, someone had been secretly helping the Jingyun Sect overcome various crises. Based on deductions, that expert was connected to Meng Tangtang.

Furthermore, he seemed to live in the Library Pavilion!

Initially, Elder Hao had guessed that the person was at most a Xiantian expert.

He never expected the man to be a Foundation Establishment Venerable!

And a top-tier one at that!

Elder Hao was suddenly overcome with wild joy; the Young Sect Master and the others were saved!

Elder Hao had dedicated his entire life to the sect, and since the Sect Master's disappearance, he had handled most matters, big and small.

He truly regarded the sect as his own home.

He cherished promising talents like Meng Tangtang as if they were his own descendants.

Now, knowing that Meng Tangtang had such a powerful figure behind her, his inner excitement was immeasurable.

Yet, despite his suspicions, Elder Hao wanted to confirm it repeatedly; otherwise, if it turned out to be a false hope, it would only add insult to injury.

Elder Hao immediately stepped forward and bowed toward the void.

Wiping away cold sweat, he asked cautiously, "May I ask, Venerable One, have you come regarding the matter of Meng Tangtang? Might I ask what relationship you have with our sect's Young Sect Master?"

Facing a Foundation Establishment Venerable, he felt like an ant confronting a dragon.

The pressure was immense.

Lin Cheng glanced at Elder Hao. He recognized this man as someone decent who had taken good care of his disciple.

Seeing the man's humble demeanor, he couldn't help but soften his tone, though his voice still carried a faint chill as he spoke slowly under Elder Hao's expectant gaze.

His voice was like a thunderclap.

"Meng Tangtang is this Seat's disciple!!"

At the end of his sentence, thinking of Meng Tangtang's plight, he couldn't help but emphasize his words, each one dripping with menace.

As these words fell, the crowd, who had been anxious and uncertain about the intentions of this big shot, widened their eyes in utter disbelief!

Their bodies trembled!

This result was far beyond their expectations!

Meng Tangtang actually had a Venerable backing her!

In an instant, upon hearing these words, the atmosphere in the hall erupted with excitement!

The heavy, oppressive air that had filled the room was swept away in a flash!

Someone let out a long sigh of relief, unable to contain their smile: "Beast Taming Mountain usually keeps company with beasts and acts arrogant and domineering, but this time, by daring to provoke a Foundation Establishment Venerable, they have truly kicked an iron plate!"