Two minutes later, in the meeting hall of Ziyun Peak.
By the time Ziyun Zhenren arrived, the other elders were all in place.
Besides them, there was also a disciple from the Discipline Hall.
"Great Elder, is what you just said true?" Ziyun Zhenren asked in disbelief.
"You tell him," the Great Elder replied, not answering directly, but gesturing to the nervous disciple beside him. "Don't be nervous, just explain in detail to the Sect Master what you saw before."
"Yes!" The disciple responded, quickly bowing to Ziyun.
"This morning, when some of my fellow disciples and I passed by Fengming Mountain, we suddenly saw a place emitting waves of white radiance…"
As the Discipline Hall disciple narrated, Ziyun Zhenren gained a general understanding of the events.
Simply put, several disciples had witnessed an anomaly on Fengming Mountain.
And all indications suggested that it was highly likely to be the ruins of a great cultivator's former dwelling!
Two hours later.
Fengming Mountain, located fifty thousand miles east of Ziyun Sect.
It was precisely at the border between the Qingfeng Plain, where the Nine Great Sects were situated, and other regions.
In essence, it was a no-man's-land.
When Ziyun Zhenren and his party arrived, they were surprised to find that the other seven Great Sects had already arrived before them.
The elders and sect masters of the Seven Great Sects were gathered together, engaged in something that appeared…
unusual.
Soon, the arrival of Ziyun Zhenren and his group attracted the attention of others.
"Ziyun Zhenren." The elders of the Seven Great Sects offered a perfunctory greeting, and nothing more.
Ziyun and the others immediately narrowed their eyes.
Previously, when they had visited the strongholds of the Seven Great Sects, these fellows had been as subservient as grandchildren.
Now, their sudden shift to being assertive was clearly not right!
However, they soon understood the reason for their strangeness.
The sect masters and elders of the Seven Great Sects lined up on either side, revealing the two individuals at the very front.
A young man in his twenties.
An old man in his seventies.
Ziyun and his group's hearts suddenly skipped a beat.
The young man's cultivation was clearly a level above their own, at least at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage.
As for the old man, he was likely already approaching the Soul Transformation realm!
Most importantly, the embroidered emblem on the chests of their robes.
It was the first-tier sect of Donghua City, the Xian Yin Sect!
Donghua City was neighbors to the Chiyang Plain where Ziyun and his sect resided, and they normally had no contact.
It seemed that their chances of obtaining the great cultivator's遗物 this time were slim…
"You must be Ziyun Zhenren." The young man walked over slowly, glancing at Ziyun with a detached air. "You're passable in appearance, a pity you're too old, otherwise this young master might consider taking you as a concubine."
"You!" The accompanying elders were instantly enraged, ready to fight.
Ziyun Zhenren raised a hand to block them, signaling them to remain calm.
"So you are fellow daoists from the Xian Yin Sect," Ziyun Zhenren said with a smile.
With the enemy possessing superior strength, acting rashly would only put them at a disadvantage.
Furthermore, seeing the fawning expressions of the Seven Great Sects' members, these opportunists would be the first to act if a conflict arose.
"You must also be here for the great cultivator's遗迹," the young man said, again glancing at Ziyun indifferently. "But unfortunately, you are destined to have come for nothing."
After speaking, the young man turned away, no longer paying attention to Ziyun and his group.
"Oh, right." The young man suddenly remembered something and turned back. "I heard that your Ziyun Sect captured a Nine-tailed Spirit Fox a few days ago."
He stopped speaking halfway through.
However, the implication was already clear.
The Xian Yin Sect had set its sights on this Nine-tailed Spirit Fox!
A force like the Xian Yin Sect was not comparable to the Ziyun Sect; they had dozens of cultivators in the Soul Transformation realm alone!
Ziyun Sect was in danger!
Ziyun Zhenren ignored them, and with the elders, waited on the side.
Unless she led all of Ziyun Sect in a mass exodus, the Xian Yin Sect would definitely come after them.
Besides, even if they truly fled, it was still an unknown whether they could escape…
Worrying was useless; they could only quickly ponder a solution.
And this great cultivator's遗迹 might very well be a turning point for the Ziyun Sect.
That's right, Ziyun Zhenren had no intention of returning just like that.
If they could obtain some powerful treasures from the ruins, perhaps they could truly resolve the issue with the Xian Yin Sect.
The premise was whether these two individuals from the Xian Yin Sect would drive them away.
Meanwhile.
"Young Master Li, why not simply drive them away?" the sect masters of the Seven Great Sects asked confusedly.
In their opinion, keeping Ziyun and his group was a threat, and dealing with them sooner was the correct course of action.
"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Li Erbi swept his gaze over them indifferently.
Although he appeared friendly with the sect masters of the Seven Great Sects now, he had never viewed these opportunists as equals from the beginning.
The sect masters and elders of the Seven Great Sects immediately shrunk their heads, not daring to speak.
There was no other way; in the cultivation world, weakness was the original sin…
Either act like a subservient dog, or die…
"However, our Xian Yin Sect is not unreasonable," Li Erbi said faintly. "Since they wish to follow, then let them follow."
"The same applies to you," Li Erbi glanced at them again. "Later, you will follow me and I will not interfere, but if you dare to ruin my plans…"
"We would not dare, we would not dare!" everyone assured repeatedly.
Li Erbi no longer paid them any mind.
In truth, everything he had said was a lie.
The reason he did not stop the Seven Great Sects and Ziyun Sect members was precisely to use them as cannon fodder.
His strength was indeed far superior to theirs, and with a Soul Transformation stage elder by his side, eradicating them was not an issue.
However, he could not guarantee what dangers they would encounter after the ruins were unearthed.
At that time, let alone him, even the Soul Transformation stage elder beside him could perish!
Although he had already sent a message to the Xian Yin Sect in a timely manner, the distance from here to the Xian Yin Sect was too great.
His own sect members might not be able to arrive in time before the ruins were unearthed.
Since these fellows were willing to be his cannon fodder, he was naturally happy to have their assistance.
He knew that they could probably guess his intentions, but he believed that even if they guessed, they would still willingly jump into the trap.
The遗物 of a great cultivator was too tempting; no one could resist such temptation!
The reason he had inquired about the Nine-tailed Spirit Fox from Ziyun Zhenren was also for this very consideration.
In essence, it was a "yangmou" (open scheme).
You know it's a trap I've dug, and you'll still jump in!
Meanwhile.
"The people from the Xian Yin Sect are likely planning to use us and those opportunists as cannon fodder," Ziyun Zhenren said gravely. "Moreover, they have cornered us with the Nine-tailed Spirit Fox, and we have no choice but to go…"
"However, esteemed elders, do not be disheartened," Ziyun Zhenren said comfortingly after her analysis. "No one knows what dangers lie within the great cultivator's遗迹; it may not be the Xian Yin Sect who has the final say then!"
Time flowed by as everyone calculated with their own hidden agendas.
An hour later.
"Rumble!"
The earth began to shake violently, and a complex of buildings rose from the ground as if conjured out of thin air!
Although it was also nighttime, the faint white light emanating from the massive architectural complex illuminated the surroundings brightly.
In front of the sect's gate stood a towering stone tablet, over three zhang tall.
Carved upon the stone tablet were three powerful and vigorous characters.
Zhengyang Sect!