In a dimly lit hall decorated in purple-the hall of the Heavenly Earth Demon Sect's Grand Elder's cave abode-the purple seat stood empty, as though the Grand Elder were away. Suddenly, black light flashed, and the Heavenly Earth Demon Sect's Fourth Elder appeared out of thin air.
"Fourth, any news?" The Grand Elder suddenly appeared in the empty purple seat and spoke indifferently.
"Yes! Li Xiaoya has emerged from seclusion," the Fourth Elder hurriedly replied. After a pause, he continued, "Apparently, he was refining a magic treasure during his seclusion. What's even more frightening is that he actually produced an exceptional-grade magic treasure! The entire Mystic Heaven Mountain Range is in an uproar." He took out a small slip of paper and tossed it to the Grand Elder.
"Really?" The Grand Elder froze, then took the note and read it. After pondering for a while, he said, "It seems we must act as soon as possible. That boy is terrifying. He's already a grandmaster-level Artifact Refiner at such a young age. If he establishes a firm footing in the Mystic Heaven Way, he could even threaten our Heavenly Earth Demon Sect in the future." He paused, then quickly added, "Oh, right. Any news from your investigation into Hua Xiuxian?"
"Hua Xiuxian does indeed have something to hide. Heh heh!" The Fourth Elder chuckled. "According to our people's investigation, Hua Xiuxian once teamed up with several rogue cultivators to kill cultivators from his own Mystic Heaven Way for a few treasures. It was kept so secret that no one in the Mystic Heaven Way knew. But two of the cultivators involved were actually informants we'd planted within the Mystic Heaven Way's territory. That's how we managed to uncover it. Grand Elder, what do you think?"
"Good! Very good!" the Grand Elder