"You actually made it back alive," Dao Lord Jinghe said, his tone filled with relief.
Dao Lord Zhenyang looked at them with a smile. "After Feng Ning returned and said you were surrounded by demonic cultivators, both Junior Brother Jinghe and I were quite worried. Fortunately, you both returned safely."
Qin Xi replied, "Senior Brother Zhenyang, you've troubled yourself. Although our journey had its frights, we ultimately encountered no real danger."
Dao Lord Zhenyang chuckled. "Judging by your demeanor, not only did you encounter no danger, but I suspect your gains were not small either?"
Qin Xi smiled. "We didn't acquire any objects, but we did bring back a piece of news."
He recounted their experiences in the East Sea one by one, speaking of the Six Paths Palace and Amber's origins, then mentioning the shocking news Amber had revealed. After he finished, Dao Lord Jinghe and Dao Lord Zhenyang showed not the slightest trace of surprise.
"Master, Senior Brother Zhenyang, aren't you at all astonished?" Mo Tiange asked.
Dao Lord Jinghe smiled, looking at her. "Girl, have you forgotten that I once told you about the matters of the Primordial and Ancient Eras?"
Mo Tiange was taken aback, recalling that her deepest impressions of the Primordial and Ancient Eras indeed came from her master's explanations.
Dao Lord Jinghe continued, "We old-timers have long felt that the end of the Primordial and Ancient Eras was extremely peculiar. Hearing what you've said, it all makes sense now."
Dao Lord Zhenyang nodded. "Indeed. However, you mentioned a divine beast being suppressed in the mortal realm—that did give us a start. It's a pity this senior has already passed away in meditation. Otherwise, we would have sought his counsel."
Mo Tiange said, "Regarding the matter of the sacrificial temples, we haven't spoken in detail before. To be honest with you, Master, through several strokes of fortune, I have been more or less connected to these temples. Even my own lifebound magic treasure has deep ties to the Azure Dragon."
She recounted in detail everything from her Foundation Establishment period, when she chanced upon the Azure Dragon Sacrificial Temple, to the recent encounter with the White Tiger Sacrificial Temple in the Far West, telling it all to the two Dao Lords.
They had heard some of these things before, but because they involved personal opportunities, they hadn't inquired deeply. Now, hearing Mo Tiange narrate it from beginning to end, Dao Lord Zhenyang couldn't help but sigh. "There is a destined order in the unseen. These sacrificial temples have existed for countless years, known to only a handful, yet you encountered them one by one. This shows you have a karmic connection with them. Now you've met this divine beast senior, who made you aware of the causal links. In my view, this matter is destined to fall upon your shoulders."
Mo Tiange said, "If this matter concerns the destruction of the Human Realm, we naturally should do our utmost. However, it is of such great importance. Even a great senior on the verge of ascension was unable to complete it. How can the two of us alone hope to accomplish it?"
Dao Lord Zhenyang waved his hand with a smile. "Not just the two of you, but our entire Xuanqing Sect. Remember, you are a Nascent Soul Dao Lord of the Xuanqing Sect. No matter what happens, the Xuanqing Sect stands behind you."
Mo Tiange was aware of these words, but hearing them from Dao Lord Zhenyang now carried a different weight.
She couldn't help but recall what Qin Xi had just said to her. She could do anything within her power for the sect, but she couldn't trust it wholeheartedly. And long ago, he had said that disciples like him, who grew up within the sect, had a different feeling toward it than she did...
She began to reflect: what exactly was lacking in her feelings toward the sect? Just as Qin Xi had said, she was willing to do what she could for the sect. If the sect faced calamity, she would firmly stand on its side. No matter how long she wandered outside, she would always want to return, because there were people here she cared about... Yet, the sect was not hers. Only things that belonged to her could make her feel at ease...
She seemed to understand a little. What she lacked was a sense of security. In her youth, she was always losing things, and she had experienced the flight from the Cloud Mist Sect. Therefore, it was difficult for her to believe that the sect would support her unconditionally.
"In that case," Dao Lord Zhenyang finally decided, clapping his hands, "once matters here are settled, you two need not remain in Kunzhong City. From now on, focus solely on this matter."
Mo Tiange snapped back to attention and asked, "Senior Brother Zhenyang, isn't our cultivation level a bit too low for this?"
Hearing this, Dao Lord Jinghe laughed and scolded, "You girl, you just feel you have no time to cultivate and are seizing the chance to ask for benefits, aren't you?"
Mo Tiange smiled. "Master, don't talk nonsense. The higher my cultivation, the more confidence I'll have to handle this matter!"
"Qingwei does have a point," Dao Lord Zhenyang said, stroking his beard with a smile. "In my view, this matter itself cannot be rushed. We're still not certain whether a true great chaos of the world is coming. We need to observe for some time."
"Senior Brother Zhenyang speaks wisely," Qin Xi nodded in agreement. "The current situation is indeed quite difficult, but to say the world is in great chaos is not yet the case. At the very least, the order of the mortal realm hasn't collapsed. If we rush into this matter unprepared, we'll only end up harming ourselves."
The other three couldn't help but nod. Indeed, the prediction of a great chaos of the world came from Amber's mouth, but Amber had never personally witnessed this world.
After pondering for a moment, Dao Lord Zhenyang said, "For now, let's not speak of this matter to others, to avoid unsettling people's minds."
The three nodded in agreement.
Dao Lord Zhenyang continued, "Shoujing and Qingwei should return to the mountain and focus on cultivation. First, if this matter proves true, the two of you will need to seek out the remaining sacrificial temples. Second, the higher your cultivation, the greater your chances of survival. If one day our Xuanqing Sect is forced to become involved, at least our lineage won't be severed."
Mo Tiange was deeply moved. "Senior Brother Zhenyang..."
Dao Lord Zhenyang reassured her, "This is the worst-case scenario. At present, we don't even have a clear grasp of the situation. We're far from reaching such a stage."
Mo Tiange knew this, but Dao Lord Zhenyang's words had touched her. Surviving, preserving the Xuanqing Sect's lineage... She suddenly understood the feeling Qin Xi had spoken of. The sect was their greatest support, the object of their deepest trust.
"Alright," Dao Lord Zhenyang said with a smile, rising to his feet. "You two have rendered great service this time. I will go shortly to secure your rewards. For now, rest."
"Senior Brother Zhenyang!" Qin Xi called out to stop him. "There's one more thing you should know."
"What is it?"
"We... killed Fairy Fengqing," Qin Xi said.
"What?" The two Dao Lords were shocked. Zhenyang asked urgently, "Feng Qing is dead?"
Qin Xi nodded. "For some reason, she always harbored hostility toward us. Later, we gave her a slight nudge, and she indeed tried to kill us. Since that was the case, we eliminated her."
Dao Lord Zhenyang sat back down. "Tell me in detail."
Qin Xi then took out that cloak and recounted Fairy Fengqing's actions in detail.
Dao Lord Jinghe snorted coldly. "Since she intended to kill, you were right to strike first. Should you have waited for the knife to hang over your own heads before retaliating? You did the right thing. Even if this were made public, you'd be justified."
Dao Lord Zhenyang's reaction was completely different. Stroking his beard thoughtfully, he said, "Logically speaking, Liu Dingyuan should have received the news long ago. It seems he deliberately concealed it."
With Feng Qing's death, the Tiandao Sect now had only five Nascent Souls. Forget about reclaiming the title of the number one sect in Tianji; if they weren't careful, their sect's strength might even be surpassed by the Ancient Sword Sect. Of course, Liu Dingyuan wouldn't dare casually announce Feng Qing's death. Moreover, on the surface, her death had nothing to do with them. Feng Ning could testify that Fairy Fengqing had left after they took over the Bixuan Pavilion.
After a moment of contemplation, Dao Lord Zhenyang picked up the cloak and said to them, "Shoujing, Qingwei, I'm afraid I can't let you keep this cloak."
Mo Tiange and Qin Xi naturally had no objections. They possessed the aura of divine beasts; such a demonic path magic treasure was of little use to them.
"I'll go handle this matter first. Make yourselves at home," Dao Lord Zhenyang said, storing the cloak in his Qiankun Bag and striding away.
Watching Dao Lord Zhenyang leave the courtyard, Mo Tiange asked, "What does Senior Brother Zhenyang plan to do?"
"Naturally, make a scene," Dao Lord Jinghe said lazily. "If they investigate, they might trace it back to you. Better to strike first and prevent Old Man Liu from causing trouble for you."
"..." Alright, Mo Tiange admitted, that was indeed a good method.
Leaving the Xuanqing Sect's branch courtyard, Dao Lord Zhenyang adjusted his expression, puffing out his beard and glaring, then strode into the Wanhe Tower with an air of fury.
The gatekeeping disciples of the Wanhe Tower were utterly astonished, wondering inwardly: Who could have provoked this late-Nascent Soul great cultivator to such anger?
When the disciples saluted, Dao Lord Zhenyang merely grunted in acknowledgment, not even touching the ground as he charged straight to the sixth floor.
Only seven people were present on the sixth floor of the Wanhe Tower. Two Nascent Soul cultivators with relatively shallow seniority were compiling reports submitted from the various levels. The rest were either members of the Elder Council or wielders of authority within their sects.
Seeing it was Dao Lord Zhenyang, everyone was about to greet him when a dark, lumpy object was flung onto the table.
"Dao Brother Zhenyang..." Feng Xiao had just called out when Liu Dingyuan, who had seen the object clearly, changed expression.
"Liu Dingyuan!" Dao Lord Zhenyang glared at him, gnashing his teeth. "Can you explain what this means?"
Liu Dingyuan slowly looked up, his face dark. "That's a question I should be asking Dao Friend Zhenyang. Why is my sect's Feng Qing's secret treasure in your hands?"
"Hmph!" Dao Lord Zhenyang snorted through his nose, his face full of impatience. "Are you still putting on an act? I ask you: why did Feng Qing, after completing her mission, not return to the Tiandao Sect but linger in the East Sea? Why did she take advantage of Shoujing and Qingwei being off guard to ambush them?"
Liu Dingyuan's brows were tightly furrowed. "So, Feng Qing died at the hands of Qin Shoujing and Mo Qingwei?"
Hearing these words, the Nascent Soul cultivators present gasped. Fairy Fengqing was dead? Then didn't the Tiandao Sect lose another Nascent Soul cultivator? And it was related to Qin Shoujing and Mo Qingwei...
Dao Lord Zhenyang sneered. "She thought that with her longer time as a Nascent Soul cultivator and the element of surprise, she would surely succeed. Unfortunately, she underestimated others too much!"
Liu Dingyuan raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as arrows, and said word by word, "Xu. Zhen. Yang. Do not bully others too far!"
Wearing a cold smile, he said, "Although Feng Qing acted impulsively, she was no fool. As a mere early-Nascent Soul cultivator, facing Qin Shoujing at mid-Nascent Soul stage, with Mo Qingwei by his side, would she take on two alone, attacking the strong while weak? Anyone with a brain would know it's impossible! I rather suspect those two killed Feng Qing and are now twisting the truth!"
"Truly laughable!" Dao Lord Zhenyang didn't retreat half a step. "As Feng Qing's senior brother, don't you know her temperament? She was always jealous of talent. In the past, when she saw our Miaoyi, she looked at him as if from above. Would she speak kindly upon meeting Shoujing and Qingwei?"
With that, he turned to Feng Xiao. "Dao Friend Feng, have you and your wife heard from Feng Ning about Feng Qing's attitude toward them?"
A flicker passed through Feng Xiao's eyes, his tone flat. "That girl Feng Ning did mention that Dao Friend Feng Qing's handling of matters was somewhat improper... but it shouldn't be as severe as killing..."
"Hmph! Hmph!" Dao Lord Zhenyang continued his cold sneer at Liu Dingyuan. "What's impossible by common sense might very well be possible when it comes to Feng Qing!" He pointed at the cloak on the table. "Cultivating a Demonic Art, her state of mind had long been twisted!"