Noon, under a blazing sun.
The Glazed Great Region, Wei City.
Inside the main hall of the Yue Lai Restaurant, a few people gathered in small groups, all discussing the events that had occurred in the Black-Raven Secret Realm a few days prior.
Just yesterday, on the second day after the strange transformation of the Black-Raven Secret Realm, the entire secret realm had suddenly and inexplicably vanished.
Why the secret realm had disappeared, no one knew.
What exactly had happened inside the secret realm that day, likewise, no one knew.
However, a few pieces of gossip were spreading like wildfire.
It was said that someone had found a Buddhist Śarīra inside the secret realm.
Moreover, in the struggle for the Śarīra, Tai Xuan Young Master White Crane of the Nine-Hua Alliance, the top-ranked Ninth Young Lord Zhuo Feng of the Fire Cloud Branch, and the prodigy Ye Rou of the Feng Hui Sect had all been beaten until they were covered in blood.
Who had beaten them, again, no one knew.
It was only known that after White Crane, Zhuo Feng, and Ye Rou emerged, they were all unwilling to accept defeat. They immediately went back to call for reinforcements, bringing large groups of people intending to settle the score with that person. However, they encountered the secret realm's strange transformation, resulting in many deaths.
Even now, White Crane, Zhuo Feng, and Ye Rou were still leading people all over the Four Great Regions, searching for the mysterious person who had snatched their Śarīra.
Alas, they had not found him to this day.
Because of this, many people were buzzing with discussion. After all, whether it was White Crane, Zhuo Feng, or Ye Rou, they were all heaven's favored children with ninefold natural flowery hues, their cultivation levels all beyond the thirty-six revolutions of the Golden Core. For someone to snatch a spiritual treasure from their hands not only indicated the mysterious person's formidable strength but also showed he had immense guts. Everyone knew White Crane's status, Ye Rou was the prodigy of the Feng Hui Sect, the number one sect in the Glazed Great Region, and Zhuo Feng was the foremost of the nine young lords of the Red Gang's Fire Cloud Branch.
Such statuses meant they were virtually untouchable in the Four Great Regions. Now, not only had their spiritual treasure been snatched, but they had also been beaten bloody. This was absolutely a major event in the Four Great Regions.
Apart from this, there was another matter even more explosive.
When the Black-Raven Secret Realm underwent its strange transformation, many people had gathered at the secret realm's entrance and had personally witnessed many prominent figures from the Four Great Regions hastily fleeing from inside.
Among them were the proud daughter of the Wind Cloud Branch, Lan Feier, the successor of the reclusive Tai Xing Cave, Shui Yunruo, and the Valley Master of Xiaoxian Valley, Qing Zhu. The other two women were unknown.
If that was all, it wouldn't be considered explosive gossip.
After all, whether it was Lan Feier or Shui Yunruo, they were both famously renowned heaven's favored daughters of the Four Great Regions. Valley Master Qing Zhu of Xiaoxian Valley was even more widely known. With the Black-Raven Secret Realm undergoing a transformation, many had gone seeking treasures, so the appearance of these two prodigious women inside wasn't anything rare.
The key point was that when people discovered Lan Feier, Shui Yunruo, and the other women in the Black-Raven Secret Realm, they said the women all appeared utterly disheveled.
Actually, that in itself wasn't particularly rare either. The Black-Raven Secret Realm's transformation was fraught with danger, with a sky full of bloodthirsty crows. Anyone encountering danger would be disheveled.
But it just so happened it wasn't merely disheveled.
That wasn't the key point either.
The more crucial point was that many people at the time noticed the five women's expressions were off. Not only did their faces show a flush, their eyes seemed slightly dazed, and they even had traces of Harmonious Bliss aura lingering on their bodies.
Any dual cultivation partners knew that during the union of man and woman, when yin and yang intertwine and souls meld, after the harmonious bliss, due to the intertwining of yin and yang, women's faces would show a flush, and the spiritual aura on their bodies would carry the scent of harmonious bliss. Only after a period of meditation would the spiritual aura return to normal.
No one knew why Lan Feier, Shui Yunruo, and even Qing Zhu all had flushed faces and lingering Harmonious Bliss aura on their bodies.
Could it be that they had engaged in yin-yang dual cultivation, experiencing harmonious bliss with someone inside the Black-Raven Secret Realm?
That couldn't be possible, right!
After all, it was the Black-Raven Secret Realm, and a strange transformation was happening at the time. Who would go there for harmonious bliss?
Moreover, no one had ever heard of five women engaging in yin-yang harmonious bliss.
What the truth of this matter was, no one knew. It all felt bewildering and mysterious.
Precisely because the truth was unknown and the matter was so bizarre, everyone was discussing it with such fervor.
In a corner of the restaurant.
A short, fat man was drinking gloomily.
The man was round and stout, wearing a custom-tailored robe. His hair was combed sleek and shiny, and even the two strokes of his mustache seemed meticulously groomed, giving him a very particular appearance.
This short, fat man was none other than Fei Kui.
He did not participate in the crowd's discussions, instead hiding alone in the corner drinking, his expression somewhat heavy.
Indeed.
Several days ago, ever since Gu Qingfeng entered the Black-Raven Secret Realm, he had been waiting outside. Later, when the secret realm underwent its strange transformation, many people came out, but Gu Qingfeng was nowhere to be seen. Even after the Black-Raven Secret Realm inexplicably collapsed and vanished, there was still no news of Gu Qingfeng.
Fei Kui didn't know if Gu Qingfeng had met with some mishap.
He didn't dare to think in that direction.
Nor did he know what to do.
"Sigh, Young Master, please, you must not have met with any trouble!"
Fei Kui prayed inwardly. Suddenly, a playful voice sounded by his ear.
"What trouble could I possibly get into?"
Hmm?
Fei Kui stood up with a start, his expression incredibly excited, because he recognized this as Gu Qingfeng's voice. He immediately widened his eyes and looked around, and sure enough, he saw a man walking in.
It was a man in white robes.
He looked very clean.
His figure was tall and slender, somewhat lean. His handsome face wore a leisurely expression, his brows and eyes seeming carefree and unrestrained, a lazy smile hanging at the corner of his mouth. In his hand, he held a few Red-Leaf Monster Fruits, taking bites intermittently.
Who else could it be but Gu Qingfeng!
"Young Master!"
Seeing Gu Qingfeng, Fei Kui felt both excited and thrilled.
Gu Qingfeng walked over, sat down on a chair, crossed his legs, waved his hand, signaling Fei Kui to sit, and said with a smile, "Drinking fine wine, listening to a little tune... you sure know how to enjoy yourself, kid..." "Young Master, how would I dare...
I..." Seeing Fei Kui's frightened look, Gu Qingfeng laughed, "Alright, just joking. Am I really that scary?"
Fei Kui wore a pained expression; this was a question he dared not answer.
"Anything happen these past few days?"
"No!"
Fei Kui poured wine for Gu Qingfeng as if remembering something, then added, "Oh, right. Senior Shi Tong sent over an invitation two days ago.""Old Man Shi Tong?"
Gu Qingfeng raised his cup and drank it all in one go, asking, "What invitation?"
Fei Kui took out the invitation from his storage bag and handed it over. Gu Qingfeng examined it carefully; it seemed to be inviting him to Liu Ren Mountain for some banquet.
"What's with the old man suddenly holding a banquet for no reason?"
"Young Master, ever since Senior Shi Tong emerged from seclusion, he's been busy with matters concerning the Four Regions Alliance. It seems he's already contacted all the people he needed to. The purpose of holding this banquet is probably to discuss with all of you how to deal with the Nine-Hua Alliance."
"Four Regions Alliance...
Ah, I remember now."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a helpless smile. "Getting old...
Forgot about something from just a couple of days ago so quickly."
"Young Master, will you go?"
"I'll go. When I spoke with Old Man Shi Tong earlier, he mentioned this matter to me. I promised him, so naturally, I can't go back on my word."