Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Sang Hongmei sat in a hall, a dour look on her face as she listened to the report from her subordinate. A wrinkled hand clutched a dragonhead cane, and if one focused only on appearances, one would think that this was some old granny in retirement. Not on their life would they believe that this was one of the Eight Ocean Rakshasas of Horizon Ocean Pavilion, the Blood Fairy.
Only that person prostrate below her understood what sort of terrifying strength was concealed in that old and declining body.
The dragonhead cane lightly tapped on the floor, but that person down below felt like it was hammering on their heart, causing their heart to madly thump in terror.
The old woman's hoarse and unpleasant voice resounded through the hall. "So, Fan Chenglong has completely turned to Xu Miaoran?"
"Yes! Xu Miaoran officially established a society yesterday, the All-Talent Society. She is the president, and Fan Chenglong is the vice president."
"'All-Talent Society'… 'All-Talent Society'…" Sang Hongmei muttered, and then she grunted, "You mean 'the All-Money Society'! A fine little girl, openly using wealth to lure in talent and form her faction. No shame at all!"
She tapped her cane several more times, sending thunderous booms through the hall, but none of the floor tiles made from Azure Metal shattered.
A young scholar seated next to her smiled and said, "Why so angry? It's not like you don't know what sort of person Xu Miaoran is. Thanks to her father, she's always gotten her way and never tasted loss before. The last incident clearly angered her, so this move is understandable."
"What does she know?" Sang Hongmei barked. "Just a dumb girl who's been spoiled rotten, only thinking about her husband. She doesn't understand that she would have never had her current status without the sect. But let alone her, even her father doesn't understand this."
Publicly criticizing a True Lord was something probably only the Blood Fairy dared to do, and everyone else was alarmed.
But Sang Hongmei was fearless, continuing, "That Xu Guanghua is also a good-for-nothing. Master long ago told him to urge Xu Miaoran to hand over the teleportation formation, but he refused to listen. This stubborn parent and child! The teleportation formation is too important to be controlled by a single individual! Moreover, over these last few years, the inter-domain trade has essentially become an open secret. If Horizon Ocean Pavilion weren't covering for them, does he really think a single True Lord would have been able to fend off all those wolves? Originating from this sect and relying on this sect, yet never repaying its kindness, instead exploiting its power to benefit oneself, is utterly outrageous!"
The young scholar bitterly smiled. "You can't put it like that. After all, it was Tang Jie who started the inter-domain trade. If you really had to trace it, it is clearly the Basking Moon Sect that has greater succession rights. It's only because Miaoran is his widow that we can so openly hold onto it. If it were really handed over to the sect, it would probably cause many disputes."
Sang Hongmei glared. "Lu Wuya, just on whose fucking behalf are you speaking?"
The scholar bitterly smiled. "I'm here to help you, of course. The Jewel Celestial Sovereign only wishes to obtain the exact location of the teleportation formation, just to be safe, not to officially take it over. But you've done a little too much, trying to get it through a forced marriage, which has made a mess of things."
"Am I not doing this for the sect? All that money we have to give to the Basking Moon Sect every year! My heart bleeds!" Sang Hongmei slapped her chest, and there was a hollow thud. "This fairy doesn't understand all these reasons, nor do I care about them. What the Blood Fairy relied on was not persuading people through reason, but this!"
Her wrinkled hand clenched into a fist.
Her scratchy voice continued to resound. "The inter-domain trade is of utmost importance. It's clearly under the control of someone from my Horizon Ocean Pavilion, so why should Horizon Ocean Pavilion get only an eighth, while Xu Miaoran takes the lion's share? This situation must be changed!"
Slamming her cane down, she shouted, "No matter what, we must find the location of the teleportation formation!"
She then called out, "Have Qing Feng come and see me."
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The Zephyr Mountains, Starsnatch Peak.
The lecture platform of the Basking Moon Sect.
In the past, Starsnatch Peak was quiet, harmonious, solemn, serene.
Like an ancient Buddha, silently accepting the veneration of others.
But today, the laughter of youths shattered this somber majesty.
"Fatty!" With a resounding shout, someone flew over and landed next to Wei Tianchong, giving him a big hug. With an impressive bearing and a large sword slung across his back, it was none other than Cai Junyang.
Cai Junyang had a more graceful bearing than before, his face seemed more aged, the muscles of his arms were more solid, and there was a deep scar on his forehead that he hadn't removed for some reason. The only thing that hadn't changed about him was his boldness, hugging Wei Tianchong tightly as he laughed and said, "I didn't expect you to be here."
Wei Tianchong angrily pushed him away, jabbing a finger at his chest and shouting, "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Fatty anymore. Do I look fat to you? I'm stocky! And is there anything weird about me being here? If you can come, why shouldn't I?"
Another voice called out, "Young Master!"
Wei Tianchong turned and saw Shi Meng coming over. He cried out in delight, "Shi Meng, you're coming too?"
Shi Meng's face fell. "If you guys can go, why shouldn't I?"
Wei Tianchong realized that he had just said these words to Cai Junyang, and he awkwardly smiled.
Shi Meng had been cultivating hard all these years. The Eight Desolations Spirit Gathering Art that Tang Jie had transmitted to him had made up for his lack of aptitude, and with his diligent effort, he had managed to keep up with everyone in terms of cultivation. Of course, in terms of actual combat strength, he was much inferior. It was just like Xu Miaoran had managed to reach the Heart Demon Tier but was still much weaker than her peers.
In normal circumstances, Shi Meng wouldn't have been chosen, but out of respect for Tang Jie, the Basking Moon Sect had given him this opportunity.
As they were talking, several more people flew over: Peng Yaolong, Ye Tianshang, Bei Canghan, Wu Xianguang, Li Yunfan, Heng Wei, Liu Hongyan, Su Xinyue, and Meng Shixue.
The three of them happily went up to greet them.
While they were all good friends, they each had their own duties and normally couldn't see each other. This was a rare gathering, and it was over something as great as being chosen to enter the Water Moon Paradise, so they were elated, hugs going all around as they chattered on and on.
After a while, Wei Tianchong suddenly realized that something was wrong and scratched his head. "Eh? Why didn't Qi Shaoming come?"
Since the Basking Moon Sect had chosen the elites of the Freedom Society, there was no reason for Qi Shaoming to be left out.
At this moment, an icy voice rang out: This is a holy ground of the Basking Moon Sect! Loud noises are not allowed! Everyone will be fined ten contribution points!"
A white-robed figure appeared before them, his clothes whiter than snow and his face colder than ice: Qi Shaoming.
Everyone was delighted to see Qi Shaoming, and then they grew furious. "What!? A fine of ten contribution points? Qi Shaoming, you dare!"
Qi Shaoming coldly replied, "If you keep shouting, I'll fine you twenty!"
Everyone shut their mouths.
Five years ago, Qi Shaoming had officially been promoted to a supervisor of the Ritual Hall. This was a job that had no cultivation requirements, and it primarily involved patrolling the grounds in place of the hall master. To put it simply, he was the eyes and ears of Li Hongyang, able to handle matters on his behalf. This was a sign of how much Li Hongyang valued his disciple.
And Qi Shaoming didn't let him down. He had entered Cognitive Creation long before, and he was now in the Three Witherings, the first one to reach this stage in their group.
At the same level as him were Peng Yaolong and Cai Junyang. As for Bei Canghan and Wu Xianguang, as they had cultivated for longer, their cultivation levels were somewhat higher. Of course, the more advanced one was in the Three Witherings Period, the weaker one was, and their strength was greatly affected, so they normally didn't go out and focused only on cultivating. And then, these joyous tidings had arrived.
Everyone grimaced upon hearing that Qi Shaoming was fining them.
And then Qi Shaoming said, "But as I'm in a good mood, I'll let you off this time."
Everyone was stunned, and then they laughed, Wei Tianchong even coming over and saying, "Good job, Brother Qi. You know how to make jokes now."
Qi Shaoming evaded his hug and said, "If you keep on shouting, I really will fine you. This is Starsnatch Peak, so no messing around is permitted. Do you really think no one is watching?"
Wei Tianchong finally chose to stand still.
But he had a flighty personality, so he looked around and commented, "So, is it just us this time?"
As he spoke, two more people came over.
One of them was Xi Canhen.
After the battle of Nadir Hill, thanks to his relationship with Tang Jie, Xi Canhen had been allowed into the Basking Moon Sect as an exception, and he had grown acquainted with Wei Tianchong and the others long ago. But because of his aloof personality, he hadn't entered the Freedom Society.
Wei Tianchong smiled and said, "If it isn't Little Thirteen! That's great."
The nickname of Little Thirteen had followed him all the way from Nadir Hill, and the others often used it to tease him, but Xi Canhen didn't mind.
But the person next to Xi Canhen was unfamiliar. "This one is…"
That scholar bowed and said, "This one is Zuo Quanming. I am honored to meet you, young warriors."
Tang Jie had asked Xu Miaoran to bring Zuo Quanming to the Basking Moon Sect—in order to protect the secret of the teleportation formation, Zuo Quanming had been blinded by a spell art while traveling through it. As Tang Jie had disappeared in the aftermath, he had never been able to vouch for Zuo Quanming's identity, and it was only out of respect for Xu Miaoran that the sect had taken him in. Thus, Zuo Quanming wasn't valued much within the sect, and he was only given ordinary missions. Anything else would have to wait for Tang Jie's return.
Still, in a major sect, Zuo Quanming was able to experience the advantages of having a home. Moreover, he was someone who valued inconspicuousness, so he didn't mind the Basking Moon Sect's lack of care. For this reason, few people outside of a few members of the sect's upper echelons knew that this person was actually a Heart Demon True Person. Some Nine Revolutions cultivators even barked orders at him, which Zuo Quanming was happy to obey.
Now that Xu Miaoran was in trouble, sending back the person she had brought wasn't a bad choice at all. Moreover, a gaggle of Spirit Ring cultivators would need a Heart Demon cultivator to supervise them. However, while the Basking Moon Sect was certain of Zuo Quanming's strength, they weren't certain of his character.
Wei Tianchong said in surprise, "So you're also Tang Jie's friend?"
Zuo Quanming smiled and said, "I'm just someone who lost to the Young Lord and was convinced by the Young Lord's character into serving him. Later on, Lady Xu's recommendation allowed me to join the Basking Moon Sect. Now that Lady Xu is in trouble, this lowly one is willing to go to her aid. But this one is too weak for the Water Moon Paradise."
In reality, he was already at the right level of strength and had no reason to go in. But he insisted on saying that it was because he was weak, as if he wanted the entire world to look down on him.
Wei Tianchong and the others didn't realize what an oddball he was, so they took his words for the truth.
Once everyone was done talking, the party entered the Water Moon Paradise, only Zuo Quanming standing on the side like an attending old butler.
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