"They are from Heavenly Court!"
Elder Ming curled his lip, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
"They wanted me to submit to them so they would help the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, but I refused in the end."
"I see!"
Chen Mu nodded, having roughly guessed who those people were. Seeing them slink away, he knew they hadn't gotten what they wanted.
"Master, I'm a little curious. Wasn't our founding ancestor killed by the Heavenly Emperor? How can they still have the nerve to demand our submission? Shouldn't we be enemies of the Heavenly Court?"
"Heh, I didn't expect you to be so well-informed, even knowing about things from so long ago."
Elder Ming glanced at Chen Mu, his expression somewhat strange.
Although the grudges between Yang Wentian, Yan Xue, and the Heavenly Emperor were not a big secret, they were, after all, things that happened thousands of years ago. Even the senior elders in the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion didn't know the inside story, let alone a disciple like Chen Mu who had only studied for two or three years.
"Haha, I was just interested, so I specifically looked it up."
Chen Mu gave an awkward smile and mumbled something.
The reason he knew so clearly was because Mingye had told him about the scene he saw in the small porcelain bottle, which is why he was so clear about the ins and outs.
"Alright! Since you're interested, I'm not afraid to tell you the details of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion. Listen carefully."
Elder Ming Ming's expression turned serious, and he began to explain in detail.
"In fact, although the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion was founded by Ancestor Yang, the one who revived it was Ancestor Yan Xue. Both of them made great contributions."
Therefore, there has always been controversy within the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion regarding the attitude towards the Heavenly Court, and after thousands of years of development, we have evolved into three major factions.
The first type is like me, who are hostile to the Heavenly Court. Most of them are descendants of the followers of the Patriarch Wentian when the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion was founded.
Although I am not a direct descendant of Patriarch Wentian, I am still considered his descendant, and I am absolutely sworn to be at odds with the Heavenly Court.
The second type is like He Xiao, who are close to the Heavenly Court. There are actually not many of them, and they are all people who are eager for quick success and instant benefits.
Although they are selfish, we have no reason to deal with them unless there is evidence that they pose a threat to the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion.
The largest group is the third group, the neutral faction. After all, Heaven-Questioning Pavilion is just an academy and does not participate in power struggles. We have no direct conflict with the Heavenly Court.
Like the previous Pavilion Master Ding Danxi, he dedicated his life to expanding the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion and never sought personal gain. Therefore, as long as it was beneficial to the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, he would not oppose cooperating with the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court has always been very powerful, and the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion Heaven-Questioning Pavilion has to rely on them in many things. Therefore, my faction was always frustrated and ostracized by the mainstream of the academy in the past.
Eventually, many of us simply went into seclusion, no longer participating in outside affairs except for cultivation. As time went on, even most people in the academy were unaware that we existed in the pavilion...
Hearing this, Chen Mu finally understood why the Heart Demon Emperor's plan had failed. Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, Elder Ming and his group became the key force for the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion to turn the tide.
"In that case, maintaining the neutrality of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion was indeed quite difficult in the past. After all, the Heavenly Court occupied the entire Central Land, and if we hadn't cultivated good relations with them, the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion would have ceased to exist long ago."
Chen Mu finally began to understand Ding Danxi a little; he had indeed sacrificed a lot for the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion.
"Yes!"
Elder Ming sighed, his expression complex.
"How's the situation here? Are you holding on?"
On his way here, Chen Mu saw that the main passages leading to and from the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion were guarded by the Otherworldly Demon army. Although the interior of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion was relatively peaceful, the Otherworldly Demon obviously would not give up on this place.
"It's alright for now. Since the chaos caused by the Heart Demon Emperor, many disciples from all over the world who once studied at the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion have offered their help. Some have even returned directly to the pavilion to help resist the Otherworldly Demon. With their support, there is no danger here for the time being."
Although the four academies are not as powerful as the three major sects on the surface, they have their own advantages, namely, a large number of students and a wide network of influence.
On this continent, there are former disciples of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion in all walks of life. Once they unite, their power should not be underestimated.
If the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion had been destroyed during the chaos caused by the Heart Demon Emperor, there would have been nothing these former students could have done. But since they survived, their true potential was revealed.
"That's good!
Master, I've made the arrangements; we'll take action against the Otherworldly Demon next month.
Reassured, Chen Mu revealed his plans to Elder Ming.
"So fast? Are you sure you've made up your mind?"
Elder Ming was very pleased that Chen Mu was willing to raise an army to deal with the Otherworldly Demon.
However, Chen Kingdom had only recently been established, Elder Ming was not clear about the internal situation of the Chen Kingdom. He was a little worried that Chen Mu had made this decision for his sake, and he did not want to see Chen Mu put in danger because of him.
"Sure!"
Chen Mu noticed the worry in Elder Ming's eyes and shook his head with a smile.
"Don't worry! Since we're going to take action, I'll at least be able to protect myself."
Elder Ming looked at Chen Mu, and after a long while, he stood up.
"Since that's the case, I can't treat you unfairly."
Let's go! I have something to give you.
After saying that, he walked straight out the door.
"No need, Master. I don't really need anything right now. You can keep it for yourself."
Chen Mu did not want to accept Elder Ming's favor, as it would make him feel no different from those people in the Heavenly Court.
Moreover, the Chen Kingdom treasury is now equivalent to his private purse, and he is incredibly wealthy, so he truly lacks nothing.
Come with me! Take a look at what I gave you before we talk.
Elder Ming didn't elaborate, he simply told him to go with him.
Chen Mu shrugged helplessly and had no choice but to follow.
Elder Ming led Chen Mu at high speed, and soon they arrived in front of a huge vortex of Spiritual Power.
Chen Mu recognized it; this vortex was the entrance to the Mystic Spirit Grotto-Heaven, where he had rescued Mingye years ago.
" Chen Mu, let's go inside!"
"Good!"
Chen Mu had no objection. It was said that Mystic Spirit Grotto-Heaven was a sacred place for cultivation, with a Spiritual Power concentration ten or even a hundred times higher than the outside world. Many people joined Heaven-Questioning Pavilion hoping to cultivate there.
However, for his current level, the concentration of Spiritual Power is no longer of much help. He wants to go in more out of curiosity, since he has never been to a place with such a high concentration of Spiritual Power before.