Meeting the Venerable

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

Some elders still felt it was inappropriate, but for now, they had no other choice.

After all, even Jingyun Sect's resident Innate expert had been sent out.

At that moment, some elders were still baffled, so they simply asked outright.

"Hasn't the Young Sect Master always stayed here in the sect? How did she suddenly run off to Beast Taming Mountain and take several old fellows from the Alchemy Hall with her? What on earth is she up to?"

That elder had opened the floodgates.

Many others voiced their own questions.

Exactly!

It made no sense.

The Young Sect Master had always stayed in the sect and devoted herself to cultivation. With her Innate constitution, she could cultivate all the way to the Innate Realm without encountering any obstacles.

Once she reached that point, where in the world couldn't she go?

And yet she had to go running around at this critical juncture, when the whole world was in turmoil. Wasn't she just giving everyone more trouble?

Still.

For all their complaining, the elders were even more worried.

After all, Meng Tangtang was the apple of the eye of every senior member of Jingyun Sect. If anything happened to her, the whole sect would be shaken to its foundations.

Hadn't even the Grand Elder, who rarely concerned himself with worldly affairs, rushed out personally?

"This..."

Elder Hao had only just received word about the matter himself. He didn't know how to answer.

"I know a little about this."

Just then, an elder from the Logistics Department spoke up.

Seeing everyone turn to look at him, he gave a rueful smile and said, "I can make a few guesses as to why the Young Sect Master went to Beast Taming Mountain."

"A little over half a month ago, the Young Sect Master came to see me. She said she needed medicinal ingredients for alchemy. At the time, I thought she was bored and wanted to learn alchemy... so I didn't pay much attention to it. But who could've guessed she'd ask for half of all the medicinal ingredients in the Logistics Department in one go?"

"How could I agree to that?"

The Logistics Department elder shook his head, then continued, "I refused on the spot. If she'd only wanted a small amount, I could've given it to her. But the sect had important uses for such a large quantity of ingredients. How could I let her take them away and waste them?"

"When that girl saw I wouldn't give them to her, she wouldn't let it go."

"She kept asking what she had to do to get the ingredients—and she wanted a lot of them!"

"Left with no choice, I casually mentioned that Beast Taming Mountain had previously opened the defenses of Ten Thousand Beast Canyon, causing heavy losses for our sect, and that they ought to compensate us. Besides, the world had been in turmoil lately, and we hadn't yet had time to settle accounts with Beast Taming Mountain!"

"The sect hadn't even reached a decision on the matter, and who could've known..."

At that, the others' expressions gradually turned strange.

They'd clearly figured it out. Damn it, so it was this old fox who'd talked the Young Sect Master into going to Beast Taming Mountain.

The Logistics Department elder could only smile ruefully.

It really wasn't his fault. The timing had simply been unfortunate.

If he'd said those words at any other time, there would've been nothing wrong with them.

"Ah, forget it. We can't blame you for this. We just never expected Beast Taming Mountain to harbor such wolfish ambitions."

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

Hearing this, Elder Hao could only laugh helplessly.

Meng Tangtang really was a whirlwind.

Jingyun Sect was in the right, of course, but even if they were going to demand compensation, they should've discussed how to proceed together. And with the sect so short-handed at the moment, the matter had been put off for the time being.

But Meng Tangtang had simply gone herself.

Oh, no—she'd even brought several elders from the Alchemy Hall along, and left without informing the sect.

That girl probably hadn't expected anything to go wrong, either.

She must've thought she'd be back in no time.

"Ultimately, Beast Taming Mountain is to blame for this..."

What had happened to Meng Tangtang and the others was merely a coincidence; they'd just happened to be caught up in it. Even if Meng Tangtang hadn't gone, Jingyun Sect would have sent someone to collect that debt sooner or later.

And the outcome would likely have been much the same.

The problem was that the one who'd gone was Jingyun Sect's precious treasure. That was what gave them a headache.

"Boom!"

Just then, the tightly shut hall doors burst open. An unprecedentedly oppressive aura swept in with them, engulfing the entire hall.

"Meng Tangtang is at Beast Taming Mountain?"

The crowd looked up in terror. They wanted to speak, but found they couldn't move at all—not even make a sound. Only their eyes could turn.

A hazy figure approached from outside, each step carrying him through the air, his entire body radiating an aura that made them tremble.

Before he arrived, his voice had already reached them.

His voice boomed like thunder, as if it were ringing directly in everyone's hearts, making their minds roar.

Every face was filled with utter horror.

The same thought arose in everyone's mind: What kind of terrifying being was this? Why had he suddenly come to Jingyun Sect?

The visitor was none other than Lin Cheng.

But unlike when he'd been in the Alchemy Hall, he now concealed his appearance and no longer hid the aura of his cultivation.

The aura of Foundation Establishment pressed down on everyone's hearts like a towering mountain, leaving them gasping for breath.

Outside the hall, Lin Cheng had already heard every word the Logistics Department elder had said.

When he heard that Beast Taming Mountain had detained Meng Tangtang, he was furious, but still kept his head. All he wanted was to figure out how to rescue her.

But when he learned that Meng Tangtang had gone to Beast Taming Mountain to demand compensation so she could gather medicinal ingredients for him—

In that instant, a feeling too complex to put into words welled up inside him.

Lin Cheng flew into a rage.

His terrifying aura surged out of control, creating the scene they had just witnessed.

"Beast Taming Mountain... How dare they!"

Lin Cheng was consumed with fury.

His aura slowly drew back, but his gaze grew colder still.

"Venerable..."

The elders who had only just managed to recover exchanged glances, their faces full of terror and shock.

He could travel through the air—a Foundation Establishment Venerable!

And this aura was absolutely beyond what someone who had only just entered Foundation Establishment could possess. Even the one from the Five Elements Sect wasn't nearly this terrifying.

For a moment, cold sweat had poured down their backs. They'd felt countless murderous intents bearing down on them, as if they could die at any instant.

This man's strength was absurdly high.

While everyone was still shaken, Elder Hao was the first to react. The man had mentioned Meng Tangtang—could he have come because of her?

As the thought crossed his mind, Elder Hao grew excited.

He thought of someone!

That senior from the Library Pavilion!

Recently, someone had secretly helped Jingyun Sect through crisis after crisis. Based on their deductions, that expert was connected to Meng Tangtang.

And it seemed he lived in the Library Pavilion!

Elder Hao had originally guessed that the other party was, at most, an Innate expert.

But who could've expected him to be a Foundation Establishment Venerable?

And one of the very strongest at that!

Elder Hao was overjoyed. The Young Sect Master and the others were saved!

Elder Hao had devoted his life to the sect, doing everything he could for it. He cared about the sect more than anything, and ever since the Sect Master had been away, he'd been the one managing most of its affairs.

He truly treated the sect as his own home.

He cared for promising youngsters like Meng Tangtang as if they were his own juniors.

Now that he knew Meng Tangtang had such a powerful figure backing her, it was easy to imagine his excitement.

But despite his suspicions, Elder Hao still wanted to confirm them. Otherwise, if his hopes proved unfounded, it would only make matters worse.

At once, Elder Hao stepped forward and bowed to the figure in the air.

He secretly wiped away his cold sweat and asked cautiously, "May I ask if Your Venerable has come because of Meng Tangtang? What is your relationship with our Young Sect Master?"

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

The pressure was immense.

Lin Cheng glanced at Elder Hao. He recognized him; the man was decent and had treated his disciple well.

Seeing how deferentially he was acting, Lin Cheng's tone softened a little. Yet a faint chill still lingered in his voice as he slowly spoke under Elder Hao's hopeful gaze.

His voice crashed like thunder.

"Meng Tangtang is my disciple!"

At the end, remembering what Meng Tangtang had suffered, he put more weight into his words, each one edged with menace.

The moment he spoke, everyone who'd been anxiously trying to guess the powerful man's intentions stared in utter disbelief!

Their bodies trembled!

The truth was far beyond anything they had expected!

Meng Tangtang actually had a Venerable backing her!

In an instant, those words sent the atmosphere in the hall roaring to life!

The heavy, oppressive mood vanished without a trace!

Someone let out a long sigh of relief, unable to hold back a smile. "Beast Taming Mountain spends all day among beasts, and it's always been arrogant and overbearing. But now it's actually dared to provoke a Foundation Establishment Venerable. They've finally kicked an iron plate!"