Hui'an pressed his palms together, all the compassion on his face fading away until only indifference remained.
The Buddhist cultivators behind him stepped forward in unison, chanting softly. Buddhist light rose like a wall, sheltering everyone from the Vajra Zen Sect within.
"Today's Wedding Gift has arrived. Sect Leader Qing, conduct yourself wisely."
Without another glance at Qing Chen, Hui'an turned and left.
His gold-and-red kasaya swayed gently in the wind, and a golden lotus platform appeared beneath his feet, carrying him slowly upward.
Then, with every step he took, an illusory golden lotus blossomed in the air. Lotuses bloomed beneath his steps as he headed straight north.
Tower Lord Yinji of the Blissful Union Tower covered her lips and chuckled softly. She exchanged a few courtesies as well, but there was not a trace of warmth in her eyes.
The female cultivators behind her opened their round fans and waved them gently. Pink mist rose, enveloping the Blissful Union Tower cultivators and drifting westward like a dreamlike cloud, vanishing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Sea-Calming True Lord of the Guixu Sea Tower set down the Wedding Gift and swept his broad sleeve. The seawater beneath his feet parted on its own, and a deep-blue vortex appeared out of thin air.
He led a dozen or so cultivators from his sect into the vortex. The seawater closed behind them, and all fell silent.
Heavenly Pool True Lord of the Thousand Puppet Sect was the most direct. He settled his hunched body onto the shoulder of the three-foot-tall puppet doll. The doll turned its head with a series of clicks, red light flashed in its eyes, and with a bang, it burst into black smoke. Both man and puppet vanished without a trace.
The purple-robed old man,