"Yes, Master!"
Yun Xi replied with a bright smile.
The two quickly completed the handover. Yun Xi returned the identity jade token that allowed her to pose as her master. For the last time, she walked out of the Hive wearing her master's face, wasting no time before heading straight for the rear mountain to begin her seclusion.
The moment Yu Ling Zūnzhě sat down, the Hive behind him began its next cycle of rearrangement. Before long, the room was once again piled high with fresh jade slips. With no choice, Yu Ling resigned himself to splitting his divine sense and began combing through them.
Meanwhile, Ancestor Hao Yi, whom Yu Ling silently accused of tricking him into this mess, was at that very moment a guest at Mingjian Gate. She was meeting with one of Mingjian Gate's oldest Divine Transformation Ancestors, a veteran cultivator who had been suppressing his cultivation at the peak of late Divine Transformation in order to guard his sect for a few more years before ascending.
Ming Jia Zūnzhě was tall and slender, clad in a dark-blue Daoist robe. His features were refined, his tone cultured, carrying the calm elegance of a scholar.
"What wind has brought Senior Hao Yi to Mingjian Gate today?"
Ancestor Hao Yi shot him a sharp glare. Don't think she didn't hear that jab at her age. She smoothed a hand through her glossy hair and said bluntly:
"This old woman never climbs the Three Treasure Hall without reason. Take a look at what Haoran Sect uncovered before you start with your sly remarks!"
With a flick of her sleeve, she sent a jade slip flying toward Ming Jia Zūnzhě's face. He caught it with ease, smile never faltering, and even poured her a cup of spirit tea before sending his divine sense into the jade slip.
Ancestor Hao Yi sipped her tea in silence, waiting to see his reaction. This old fox, outwardly refined, hardly looked like a sword cultivator, yet he practiced one of the most difficult sword paths—the Calculating Sword.
As the name implied, it was all about calculations: predicting and deducing both his own and his opponent's sword trajectories to perfectly intercept, counter, or even use the enemy's strike to kill them.
What made Ming Jia Zūnzhě even more dangerous was that he had also mastered Mingjian Gate's unique secret art, Foresight, allowing him brief glimpses of the future in critical moments. This filled in the tiny margin of error his Calculating Sword left behind. With such a flawless combination, Ming Jia Zūnzhě had become the undefeated pillar of Mingjian Gate, securing its status as the foremost sect in the Western Domain.
As Ancestor Hao Yi often muttered, "Ming Jia Zūnzhě's whole body is made of schemes. His eyes turn once and he's already found a way to stab you in the back." If not for her own immense experience accumulated over countless years, even she might have fallen into one of his pits.
Still, she knew his dao heart was unshakable, and that he kept a strict bottom line. That was why, after uncovering a mere glimpse of the evil cultivators' plots, she had thought of him first. Besides, Li Chang—the fallen evil cultivator whom Yun Xi and Jing Ling had expelled from the secret realm—was currently imprisoned at Mingjian Gate. What she didn't know was how much they had managed to extract from him.
After reading the jade slip, Ming Jia Zūnzhě fell into deep thought. His fingers moved in unconscious calculation, as though testing the truth of the information.
Only after half a stick of incense did he finally look up, eyes burning.
"Hao Yi Daoyou, it seems your Haoran Sect may truly have stumbled upon the starting point of the evil cultivators' scheme. If we follow this thread, many long-unsolved mysteries of the Weiyu Realm may finally unravel."
Ancestor Hao Yi snorted.
"You think I didn't know that? I suggest you contact your Mingjian Gate Ancestors who have already ascended. See if they can provide supporting evidence. That way, when we move to convince cultivators from the other four domains to join forces, we'll have a stronger case.
As for those suspicious people and incidents circling around your sect's core disciples, you'd best start digging immediately. You might find some surprises. Once you've confirmed, we'll make a circuit of the other regions together."
This time, Ming Jia Zūnzhě didn't argue. He was already planning to conduct a thorough investigation. The matter touched upon Mingjian Gate's future, and he could not afford carelessness.
What mattered most was that he had long suppressed his ascension. When the day came that he could suppress it no longer, he would face the same risks as those who had gone before him. He had no intention of letting his immortal path be cut off halfway.
"Thank you, Ancestor Hao Yi, for the reminder. I will make arrangements immediately. Once the information is confirmed, I will see that the discoveries are discreetly shared with the other sects and clans of the Western Domain. The West must not fall into chaos."
Ancestor Hao Yi nodded in satisfaction. She had expected nothing less. With his sharp mind, Ming Jia Zūnzhě was easy to work with. As the foremost sect of the Western Domain, Mingjian Gate had to shoulder its share of responsibility.
Still, she asked: "And what of Li Chang? What have you uncovered from him?"
At the mention of that name, Zūnzhě Ming Jia's face darkened.
"Kunmo Sect's Lin Lang helped us pry some information from him, but nothing as clear as a soul search. Unfortunately, there were restrictions in his sea of consciousness. I had intended to personally break them, but he managed to escape."
Ancestor Hao Yi froze, teacup in hand, brows arching.
"Don't tell me… Li Chang abandoned his fleshly body and let his soul flee?"
Ming Jia Zūnzhě's eyes widened in shock.
"Yes. How did you know?"
This was something Mingjian Gate had kept tightly hidden. Losing a fallen evil cultivator was shame enough, not to mention the unexplained disappearance of the secret realm. Since Li Chang remained the prime suspect, Ming Jia Zūnzhě was astonished that Hao Yi had guessed so easily.
Ancestor Hao Yi set down her cup and said evenly:
"Five years ago, when Yu Ling attempted his Divine Transformation, someone tampered with the tribulation array, intending for him to die under lightning. The culprit was a fellow disciple, Zuo Qiu. But Yu Ling's disciple ruined his scheme, and Zuo Qiu perished halfway through.
Out of spite, he tried to kill that disciple, only to be caught by Hao Yan. He was imprisoned in the Law Enforcement Hall, where the sect discovered his dealings with evil cultivators. Two years later, Zuo Qiu abandoned his body, his soul escaping confinement. Since his soul lamp still burned, it meant someone within the hall had helped him.
Yet the Law Enforcement Hall produced no answers. I was furious, so I purged it. Afterward, with a new Hive King installed, these long-ignored clues finally surfaced."
Ming Jia Zūnzhě's heart sank. Ancestor Hao Yi had said "purged," but he had no illusions—she had bathed the Law Enforcement Hall in blood. Otherwise, such secrets would never have come to light.
It also meant Mingjian Gate might be suffering from the same rot. His downcast eyes flickered with calculation before he finally raised them again.
"Thank you, Hao Yi Zūnzhě, for sharing this vital information. It seems Mingjian Gate has not tested its sword in far too long. Let us begin with the matter of Li Chang's escape."
The implication was clear—he, too, would be cleansing his sect.
"Good. I look forward to your good news. I hope your sect uncovers more leads. As for me, I must pay a visit to the Loose Cultivator Alliance and have a word with a few old acquaintances."
Ming Jia Zūnzhě rose to see her off, but Ancestor Hao Yi waved him back. Her figure vanished from the hall.
Only after confirming her departure did Ming Jia Zūnzhě summon his Martial Brother Ming Hong to his own cave residence.
———
Back in Haoran Sect, Yun Xi spent seven days nourishing the Seven-Color Lotus with her own heart's blood. Only once she had established a bond with it did she carefully draw it from her storage space and slowly guide it into her dantian, beginning the second stage of refinement and fusion.
Elsewhere, within Yunmen Temple, Wei Yunqing triggered his Nascent Soul lightning tribulation.