Such an earth-shattering phenomenon naturally could not be hidden from the eyes and ears of those nearby.
Even though this place was still a hundred li away from Huangshan City, the purple-gold divine radiance piercing the heavens and the vast pressure immediately alarmed countless Cultivators in the city.
Only a moment passed.
Streaks of light rose from Huangshan City, slicing through the night sky and heading straight for this desolate mountain peak.
It wasn't just the great families in the city.
Many Loose Cultivators hiding in the vicinity to cultivate also sensed this heart-palpitating Dao aura. They all piloted their flying tools, racing to arrive first.
Atop the mountain peak, the purple-gold afterglow had not yet dissipated.
Head of the Xu family landed first and cupped his fists. "I wonder which great expert is Condensing the Chess Piece here?"
"I am Head of the Xu family, Xu Chunnian, of Huangshan City. I take the liberty of requesting an audience with Senior. If there are any errands, the Xu Family will not hesitate even at the cost of ten thousand deaths!"
"..."
The night wind brushed across the mountain ridge.
No one spoke.
It was as if that world-shaking commotion from just now was nothing more than an illusory dream.
Just as Xu Chunnian was feeling apprehensive.
Several sharp auras suddenly arrived through the air from behind.
He sensed the movement and glanced sideways.
Once he saw clearly who had come, his expression immediately turned solemn, and he hurried forward to greet them.
"You all have come as well?"
The figures of Senior Brother Chen Yuan and the other three descended from mid-air.
Ignoring Xu Chunnian's pleasantries.
All four had solemn expressions, staring fixedly at the gradually dissipating Dao resonance on the mountain peak.
Purple-gold radiance...
As disciples of the Nine Great Dao Sects, how could they not understand the weight of such a commotion?
An Celestial-grade Dao Chess.
Even within the Jieqing Sect, existences that could trigger such a heavenly phenomenon were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Senior Brother Chen Yuan stood in the wind, his expression shifting uncertainly. He suddenly spoke up, "One who can trigger such a heavenly phenomenon and condense an Celestial-grade Dao Chess must be a Prodigy or a great expert with profound foundations. They would never be an ordinary person."
He paused, his brow furrowed tightly.
"First, that incident happened at the Xu Family, and then an Celestial-grade Dao Chess appears. This is far too much of a coincidence."
Junior Sister Su Liu nodded beside him in deep agreement.
Gong Shaoqi silently observed the surroundings.
"Senior Sister."
Gong Shaoqi suddenly spoke, "Do you think... could it be that Guest Elder Jiang?"
As soon as these words were spoken.
The wind on the mountain ridge seemed to freeze for a moment.
The atmosphere suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone subconsciously searched their memories for that white-robed figure.
Nothing.
Such an earth-shattering commotion had even alarmed the Loose Cultivators in the city.
Yet that unfathomable Guest Elder had not come to investigate.
There were only two possibilities.
Either that person was so arrogant that they didn't even care about a legendary Celestial-grade Dao Chess and couldn't be bothered to join the excitement.
Or...
Thinking of this second possibility.
Everyone felt a chill run down their backs.
Lin Feiyan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming shock in her heart.
She suddenly turned around. "Alright, alright, what's there to guess?"
Lin Feiyan waved her hand, her tone sounding somewhat impatient.
"Since the other party is nowhere to be seen, they obviously don't want to be disturbed. Why are we wasting time here? Let's hurry back to the city."
Saying that, she was the first to harness her Qi and speed toward Huangshan City.
The others exchanged glances and tacitly shut their mouths.
If that were truly the case...
Then just what kind of monster was this Guest Elder Jiang?
With the cultivation of a single piece, she casually crushed a Seven Chess Pieces great demon, and then turned around to condense an Celestial-grade Dao Chess in this desolate wilderness.
Such behavior had already exceeded their understanding.
...
The next day.
The morning light was just beginning to show.
Outside the Xu Family estate in Huangshan City, the long street had already been cleared.
Xu Chunnian led over a hundred members of the Xu Family, standing respectfully below the steps with solemn expressions. "Guest Elder, and distinguished disciples of the upper Sect, the Xu Family will remember this great kindness in our hearts. The mountains are high and the waters are long; please forgive this old man for not being able to see you off further."
"Let's go."
There were no redundant pleasantries.
Jiang Yuechu turned and stepped onto the flying boat.
Senior Brother Chen Yuan and the others exchanged glances, also cupping their fists toward Xu Chunnian before boarding the deck one after another.
The flying boat rose into the air.
The sea of clouds churned, and Huangshan City gradually receded in their field of vision.
It was surprisingly quiet on the boat.
Senior Brother Chen Yuan stood at the bow, forming hand seals, but his eyes couldn't help but constantly flicker toward the white-robed girl sitting cross-legged in the corner.
That purple-gold divine radiance piercing the heavens from last night still lingered in his mind.
If it really was this Guest Elder's doing...
Senior Brother Chen Yuan swallowed hard, suppressing the palpitation in his heart, and simply focused on piloting the flying boat.
Junior Sister Su Liu sat not far away, her breathing extremely light, for fear of disturbing that great figure who was resting with closed eyes.
The flying boat traveled for several thousand li.
The mist ahead gradually thinned; they had already left the territory of the Fifty Thousand Li Great Marsh.
Lin Feiyan, who had been leaning against the boat wall in a daze, suddenly stood up straight.
"Stop for a moment."
Hearing this, Senior Brother Chen Yuan's hand seals paused.
The flying boat hovered in mid-air.
"Let us part ways here."
Lin Feiyan glanced at everyone and said casually.
Senior Brother Chen Yuan looked over, his face showing doubt.
"Junior Sister Gong isn't returning to the Sect with us?"
Lin Feiyan turned her head unnaturally, avoiding Senior Brother Chen Yuan's gaze.
Return to the Sect?
What for?
She had originally snuck down the mountain behind her Master's back, seeking a good time.
But look what happened.
She didn't get her good time.
A grand Seven Chess Pieces Cultivator like herself had been chased until she was scurrying like a rat, even casting a Clothes Cleaning Incantation out of sheer terror.
In the end, she had to rely on a Guest Elder whose cultivation seemingly was only one or two pieces to save the day.
If she went back to the Jieqing Sect like this, with her tail between her legs...
If word of this got out in the future, where would her face as a Personal Disciple go?
She had to perform some great deeds before returning to the mountain in glory.
Of course.
She absolutely could not touch that level of great demon again.
She would start by killing small demons and progress step by step. After slaying a hundred or so demons, the small amounts would add up, and it would be a fine story to send back to the Sect.
Thinking of this.
Lin Feiyan coughed dryly and forced a serious face.
"My Junior Brother and I came down the mountain this time primarily to temper our Dao Hearts."
"The matter with the Xu Family was merely something we did in passing."
"Now that the matter is concluded, we have other regions to visit, so we won't be traveling the same path as you."
Senior Brother Chen Yuan was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
Seven Chess Pieces, Five Chess Pieces.
Their cultivation was terrifyingly high, yet when facing enemies, they couldn't even steady a decent killing technique.
They even managed to cast a Clothes Cleaning Incantation in front of a Seven Chess Pieces great demon.
Add to that those full-of-holes aliases.
Having struggled in the Sect for so many years, how could he not guess the background of these two?
He immediately cupped his fists and said, "Since Junior Sister Gong has such plans, Chen naturally cannot force you."
"During this experience, thanks to the righteous intervention of you two, if there is ever a place where Chen can be of use in the future, please do not hesitate to speak up."
Hearing Senior Brother Chen Yuan's thanks, Lin Feiyan felt inexplicably comfortable.
She waved her hand with feigned ease.
"No need for such formalities. We are all members of Jieqing; it was just a small effort."
Between her words, she maintained the full air of an expert.
Seeing this, Senior Brother Chen Yuan said no more and retreated to the side with Junior Sister Su Liu.
Lin Feiyan suddenly turned her head, her gaze falling on the white-robed girl sitting cross-legged in the corner.
Although she intended to go out and venture, she wasn't stupid... she now knew exactly how much she was worth.
If she really continued to wander aimlessly in this Yunmeng Great Marsh...
Lin Feiyan coughed lightly, hiding the small scheme in her eyes.
She stepped in front of Jiang Yuechu.
"Guest Elder Jiang."
Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes, her gaze as calm as water.
"Something the matter?"
Lin Feiyan straightened her back, trying to make her tone sound natural.
"Guest Elder should have joined our Jieqing Sect not long ago, right? Surely you are not yet familiar with the customs and people of Yunmeng Township..."
"My Junior Brother and I are about to continue traveling everywhere to slay demons and eliminate devils."
She paused and threw out her proposal.
"I wonder what Guest Elder's plans are next?"
"If you have nowhere to go for now, why not travel with us?"
"We can look out for each other along the way. If Guest Elder has any errands, my Junior Brother and I can also handle them for you."
"..."
Travel together?
Jiang Yuechu silently frowned.
She was used to being alone; what would she gain from bringing two burdens?
Gain their ability to provide entertainment?
Just as she was about to refuse.
Lin Feiyan bit her teeth and took a half-step forward, inconspicuously blocking the view of Senior Brother Chen Yuan and the others.
Then she sent a voice transmission: "Guest Elder, please wait before refusing... To tell you the truth, my Junior Brother and I didn't come down the mountain aimlessly this time. According to my Mas— ahem, according to news I happened to get earlier, there is a perilous land in the southern part of the Jieqing Sect. The number of demons there is far beyond what a small place like Huangshan City can compare to."
Hearing this.
The refusal that was about to come out was swallowed back down by Jiang Yuechu.
"Tell me in detail."
Sensing the change in Jiang Yuechu's expression, Lin Feiyan was overjoyed and quickly struck while the iron was hot: "Not only that, but in the depths of that demon nest, there is actually a high-quality object of dao integration..."