A letter of invitation

The Sky Boat swiftly swept into the Heavenly Dao Sect.

After Wang Tianfu and Zhou Tong ordered the inner and outer sect elders to take their disciples back to their respective peaks, they steered the Sky Boat toward Heavenly Dao Peak.

Not long after the returning inner and outer sect disciples reached their peaks, word spread that a group of demonic cultivators from the Great Evolution Demonic Sect had laid an ambush within the sect's territory, only to be beheaded to the last by a mysterious expert.

For a time, countless shocked discussions rose and fell across the peaks.

After Zhao Ting returned to Heaven Mystic Peak and told the Purple-Robed Disciples about it, they too were deeply shocked.

Meanwhile, in the Inner Pavilion on Heavenly Dao Peak.

Nangong Yao and all nine Core Elders were present.

Their gazes were icy as they stared at the hundreds of corpses neatly arranged on the floor.

The atmosphere was more solemn than ever.

"Sect Master, Jingyao and those disciples must have been abducted by the Great Evolution Demonic Sect! Everyone knows that this You Sha is their fourth elder!"

Jiang Bailu pointed at the corpses strewn across the floor, seething with indignation.

The elders lowered their eyes, but their fists quietly clenched inside their sleeves. The third elder was right. They could now be almost certain that the demonic sect targeting their Heavenly Dao Sect was the Great Evolution Demonic Sect.

What puzzled the elders, however, was who had eliminated these demonic cultivators lying in ambush.

"Sect Master, when the ninth elder and I were leading our disciples back, we discovered these many beheaded corpses from the Great Evolution Demonic Sect. There were destroyed formation flags around them as well, and they had already been dead for some time."

Wang Tianfu spoke solemnly.

Just as the elders were racking their brains without finding an answer, Nangong Yao's tightly furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and he sighed.

"If my guess is correct, it must have been the master."

The master?

The elders' hearts jolted.

Didn't the master stay on Servant Disciple Peak all year round? Aside from that one visit to the Martial Arena on Heaven Mystic Peak, he did not seem to have left Servant Disciple Peak in the past three years, had he?

Nangong Yao smiled. "Three days ago, I went to Servant Disciple Peak again to seek the master, but I didn't find him, so I guessed he had left the sect. What you elders don't know is that, for some reason, the master has returned to how he was when I first met him back then. Heh."

Oh?

The elders were stunned again and again, their mouths hanging open.

If, as the sect master said, the master had left the sect recently, then he very well could have done this!

Otherwise, they truly could not think of anyone else with the strength to instantly kill hundreds of demonic cultivators, including You Sha.

The sect master could certainly defeat all these demonic cultivators too, but he could never kill them all in an instant.

Moreover, the concealment formation the demonic sect had used for its ambush was extremely ingenious and difficult to detect.

They would know once they asked the master.

With that thought, Liu Yunjian could not help asking, "Sect Master, has the master returned?"

Nangong Yao shook his head. "I haven't been to Servant Disciple Peak these past two days, so I don't know whether he has returned."

The elders were intensely curious too. They truly wanted to know whether this had been the master's handiwork. They had never seen the mysterious master take action.

Nangong Yao drew a light breath and said gravely, "Enough. Our pressing concern now is the Great Evolution Demonic Sect! Previously, we didn't know which demonic sect was targeting our Heavenly Dao Sect and could do nothing. But now that we know, we cannot simply sit idle!"

At his words, the elders' expressions grew solemn.

Liu Xuan Yin asked, "Sect Master, what should we do next?"

Before Nangong Yao could speak, Jiang Bailu burst out angrily, "Hmph! What else can we do? Attack the Great Evolution Demonic Sect directly, of course! They dared trample all over our Heavenly Dao Sect. This time, we must wash the Great Evolution Demonic Sect in blood!"

Liu Xuan Yin paused, then said in a low voice, "Third Elder, do not underestimate the Great Evolution Demonic Sect. It is also a first-rate demonic sect in Northern Mystic. If our Heavenly Dao Sect attacks without regard for the consequences, both sides will only end up grievously wounded! Besides, Northern Mystic is in chaos now. If our sect suffers a severe loss of strength at a time like this, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Jiang Bailu's lips moved, but he sighed and said nothing more.

Nangong Yao gave the two of them a helpless look, then said, "First Elder."

Liu Yunjian stepped forward and bowed. "Here."

After a moment's thought, Nangong Yao instructed, "Draft a letter of invitation to the Great Evolution Demonic Sect immediately. State that, three days from now, I invite their sect master to meet me at White Fox Ridge."

Liu Yunjian answered, "Yes."

The elders nodded, understanding the sect master's intent. If the Great Evolution Demonic Sect would hand over Jingyao and the other disciples, a great battle could be avoided. But if they refused, then there could only be... war.

Noon.

The dining hall on Servant Disciple Peak.

Chen Xun collected a serving of food, sat down to one side, and ate at a leisurely pace.

The servant disciples watched in astonishment.

Was this still Chen Xun?

Hadn't he always wolfed down his food, sweeping it away like a gale scattering clouds, eating at least enough for dozens of people all by himself?

What was going on today? Was he in a bad mood?

But soon, the disciples gradually realized with shock that Chen Xun was different from how they remembered him.

He seemed to be... normal?

"Chen... Chen Xun?"

A disciple approached with his tray and called out tentatively, with a hint of respect.

Although Chen Xun was a mortal, no disciple on Servant Disciple Peak dared provoke him. They were always polite when they saw him.

It was simply because Chen Xun was Zhao Ting's friend. Over the years, the servant disciples had witnessed their friendship and envied it.

Chen Xun paused with his chopsticks, turned his head, and smiled gently. "What is it?"

The servant disciple's pupils instantly contracted. He hurriedly waved his hand and laughed awkwardly. "Hahaha, nothing, nothing!"

Then the servant disciple returned with his tray and whispered with the others, all of them looking at Chen Xun in shock.

A madman who had been insane for three years had suddenly become normal. Heavens.

"Just eat your food! What are you all muttering about? Get to work as soon as you finish!"

Just then, the fat steward, Qian Laifu, arrived and barked at them.

Quite a few disciples were so frightened that they quickly finished eating, put down their trays, and fled in disarray.

"Hmph."

Qian Laifu snorted coldly. Then he spotted Chen Xun, and his gaze shifted. Rubbing his hands, he immediately approached and asked quietly and respectfully, "Senior, how is the food? Is it to your liking?"

To the servant disciples, Qian Laifu's behavior was perfectly normal. They all thought he wanted to curry favor with Chen Xun and forge a connection with their purple-robed senior brother, Zhao Ting.

Chen Xun smacked his lips, pointed his chopsticks at the dishes on his tray, and said, "Six dishes and a soup. The meals here are very good."

Huh?!

Qian Laifu stumbled, his face filled with shock.

It was not Chen Xun's assessment of the food that shocked him, but his manner.

This, this, this...

Qian Laifu swallowed and ventured cautiously, "S-Senior, you..."

Chen Xun naturally knew what Qian Laifu meant. He merely smiled, then picked up his tray, placed it in the washing basin, and left.

Qian Laifu was left rooted to the spot, his face full of disbelief. Finally, he let out a long breath of wonder. "Of course, of course. The sect master said that Senior was playing his way through the mortal world. It makes sense for his behavior to change unpredictably. Still, now that Senior is normal, he truly has the transcendent bearing of a lofty expert."

Coming to his senses, Qian Laifu hurried after him.

"Senior, let this humble one see you off!"