"Haha, don't worry. With your divine abilities, my fellow Daoists, it couldn't be simpler!" Du Chengfeng said with a hearty laugh.
"Oh? What exactly is this matter?" Li Xiaoya asked mildly, still showing no intention of committing himself.
"Hehe, this isn't the place to discuss it. Let's go back and sit down, then talk it over," Du Chengfeng said with a smile, his expression unchanged.
"All right."
Before long, everyone returned to the Main Hall.
Having witnessed Li Xiaoya's and Dong Santong's divine abilities, the cultivators treated them with noticeably greater respect. Their strength was there for all to see; no one could refuse to acknowledge it.
They exchanged a few pleasantries and took another sip of the fine spirit tea the maids had brought to replace the previous batch.
"Ahem." Du Chengfeng coughed softly and waved the maids and disciples away. Everyone stopped talking and fell silent. Once the attendants had withdrawn, green light flashed repeatedly from his hands as he chanted an incantation. The hall's doors immediately closed, and a layer of restrictions enveloped the building.
Looks like we're getting down to business, Li Xiaoya thought, exchanging a glance with Dong Santong.
"Everyone." Du Chengfeng glanced at the old woman seated beside him. Seeing her calmly enjoying her tea, he began, "I imagine everyone except our fellow Daoists Li Xiaoya and Dong Santong knows why I invited you here today?"
"Yes, of course." The others nodded.
"Hehe, since these two fellow Daoists don't know, I'll explain the matter from the beginning." Du Chengfeng nodded several times, then turned to Li Xiaoya and Dong Santong.
"Please go ahead, City Lord Du," Li Xiaoya said with a nod.
"It's like this..." Du Chengfeng slowly laid out the whole story.
Most cultivation lineages on the Tianyuan Continent lived among mortals in