"Five Elements Dao Sect."
Feng Yi's tone was flat, yet it echoed like a sudden thunderclap.
"Five Elements Dao Sect?" The hand of the Sword Heart Sect disciple responsible for registration shook, causing the brush to clatter onto the register. "Is that the one from a thousand years ago..."
Suisui timely poked its head out from Feng Yi's robes, its soul fire flickering as the signature five-colored glow of the Five Elements Dao Sect emanated from its body.
The little skeleton deliberately swayed the bone bell at its waist, its crisp jingling sound piercing the silence with jarring clarity.
The entire Greeting Plaza instantly erupted into a commotion:
"It really is the Five Elements Dao Sect!"
"What is that little skeleton?! Is it some kind of spirit pet?!"
"The rumors from a while ago were actually true! The Five Elements Dao Sect has really reappeared in the world!"
Li Nanzhu felt complicated as she listened. So this was why Feng Yi had been carrying Suisui.
Before, whether in the Forest of Demonic Beasts or the Blackwater Marsh... anyone who saw Suisui and noticed she was only a minor Qi Condensation cultivator would immediately conclude that Suisui was an evil creature.
But now, because Suisui was held in the arms of a Soul Transformation stage expert like Feng Yi, it had become a spirit pet.
In the end, it was still because her own strength was insufficient.
A Sword Heart Sect elder rushed over after receiving a disciple's transmission. Upon clearly seeing Feng Yi's face, his expression turned pale—he was one of the elders who had been present at the Immortal Ascension Assembly and had personally witnessed this man overpowering Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao.
He had never expected the man to be from the Five Elements Dao Sect!
He tremulously bowed deeply. "To have Immortal Venerable Feng Yi grace us with his presence... please forgive our lack of a proper greeting..."
He secretly crushed a communication jade slip in his sleeve while forcing himself to remain calm. "There is no need for these disciples to lead the way. A special rest area has already been prepared. Please, please follow me..."
Although his posture wasn't quite subservient, it was extremely respectful.
As they stepped past the sect's main gate plaque, a soft and familiar spiritual energy enveloped Li Nanzhu, causing her footsteps to falter.
"What's wrong, Junior Sister?" Duan Xianxing nudged her.
"It's nothing." Li Nanzhu shook her head, suppressing the confusion in her heart as she continued forward.
As they passed the martial arts arena along the way, the cultivators currently sparring all stopped their movements instinctively.
Li Nanzhu noticed that the white-robed youth in the Sword Heart Sect's group—the original male lead, Qi Yunze—seemed to be inadvertently observing their party. Meanwhile, Cang Dongqing from the Cang family's group was looking at her with a strange gaze. As for Ling Xiao's other direct disciples, their expressions were a mix of varying emotions.
"Junior Sister," Duan Xianxing leaned in and whispered, "look at their expressions. It's like they've seen a ghost!"
...
The place where they were settled was a floating pavilion, more than three times larger than the ones for ordinary sects. The furnishings inside were extremely luxurious; even the tea cups were made of spirit jade that could automatically refill water.
It was obvious that if Feng Yi hadn't been leading the team, they likely wouldn't be staying here.
"Tsk," Duan Xianxing sprawled out on a cloud brocade sofa. "Don't they say sword cultivators are poor? Why do they have so many good things here?"
"It is the Sect Competition, after all," Mu Wenyan spoke. "The other sects must have contributed quite a bit as well."
"To put it bluntly, the wool comes off the sheep's back, doesn't it?" Duan Xianxing almost laughed out loud.
"Be quiet for a moment." Beside them, Feng Qingping had been checking the room's restrictions and suddenly sneered. "Just as I thought. There are surveillance arrays here."
A flash of green light flickered from her fingertips, and a hidden rune in the corner of the wall was instantly pulverized.
Feng Yi simply took a gentle sip of clear tea, clearly not intending to interfere with their actions.
Suisui hopped over to the corner, its bone claws digging out several broken array stones. The Sword Heart Sect's emblem appeared within its soul fire as the little skeleton indignantly ground the array stones into powder and even mimed spitting—though it had no saliva to speak of.
"It seems we are being highly valued." Jiang Yifan gave a cold laugh and took out a compass-like magic tool from his storage bag. As spiritual energy was poured into it, dozens of red dots lit up on the compass, spread throughout the pavilion.
Duan Xianxing leaned over to look and sucked in a breath of cold air. "Good grief, they didn't even spare the latrine?"
Li Nanzhu couldn't help but laugh, but she saw that Suisui had already sprung into action.
The little skeleton's bone claws directly destroyed the hidden array nodes. For every one it broke, a red dot on the compass would go out. Even better, it deliberately rearranged the disassembled array stones into ridiculous ghost faces, placing them in conspicuous spots.
"Good job, Suisui!" Duan Xianxing gave a thumbs up. "Let the Sword Heart Sect see the art of anti-surveillance!"
Mu Wenyan's hands formed a seal, and an invisible ripple spread out. "Now, all they can hear is the sound of birds chirping."
After Feng Qingping finished checking the last room, she nodded in satisfaction. "We can speak freely now."
...
Meanwhile, inside the Sword Heart Sect's main hall.
"Five Elements Dao Sect?!" Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao slammed the table and stood up, causing the tea cups to clatter. "Are you certain Feng Yi is leading the team personally?"
The elder who had just received Feng Yi's party was drenched in cold sweat. "Absolutely! That pressure... was definitely at the Soul Transformation stage! Besides, I would never mistake that face!"
Zhao Wufeng furrowed his brows deeply. "How many participants did they register?"
"Nine..." The elder swallowed hard. "But only seven disciples were seen arriving. Among them was a young girl who had not yet reached her coming-of-age ceremony and was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment..."
"Heh," Ling Xiao sneered. "Is Feng Yi trying to revive his sect? With just those few children?"
"What are the cultivation levels of the participating disciples?" Zhao Wufeng was clearly more concerned with details.
"They seem to have some magic tools on them; several disciples' cultivation levels are shielded, but..." The elder seemed hesitant and did not continue.
"No 'buts,' spit it out," Ling Xiao said with a frown.
"Yes, yes... it seems several of your disciples recognize them..."
"Call them all here."
"Yes."
...
As night fell, a light pitter-patter of footsteps sounded outside the pavilion.
Suisui was the first to perk up its skull, leaning directly against the window to check.
Li Nanzhu wasn't worried about Suisui's safety; after all, they were on the Sword Heart Sect's territory. Furthermore, with Feng Yi presiding over them, the Sword Heart Sect would lose all face if something truly happened.
It was a familiar figure, though this time she had swapped her vibrant red clothes for a low-key black outfit.
"It is Senior Sister Rong," Li Nanzhu said.
"Why is she coming here so late? Haven't we already settled the terms of our cooperation?" Feng Qingping frowned slightly.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking came from the door.
"We should let her in first." Mu Wenyan went down to welcome Rong Yuying inside.
Feng Yi had disappeared at some unknown point, leaving only a wisp of steam curling up from his tea cup.
Rong Yuying didn't feel awkward upon seeing everyone in the hall. Instead, she gave a smiling bow. "I hope I am not disturbing everyone's cultivation." When her gaze swept over Li Nanzhu, she suddenly winked. "Little Zhu'er, has it been so long since we parted at the Blackwater Marsh that you've missed me?"
"I have missed you dearly, of course." Li Nanzhu smiled as she brewed another cup of tea and handed it to Rong Yuying. "What wind has blown Senior Sister Rong here?"
Rong Yuying sat down gracefully. "The reappearance of the Five Elements Dao Sect has shaken half the cultivation world. Naturally, I had to come and pay a visit."
"Fellow Daoist Rong is too kind." Mu Wenyan gave a slight smile. "A late-night visit like this can't just be for catching up, surely?"
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