Rocks Clan, Seventh Peak
After the fight at the gate of the mountain, Chen Mo's strength was recognized by Huo An, one of the seven elders of Raoshan sect. After scolding harshly a group of disrespectful disciples of Raoshan sect, he invited Chen Mo and his companions to live in the Seventh Peak where he resides.
The Raoshan sect is known as the number one sect in Qingzhou, and its master's name is even more famous than that of the emperor of the vast sea empire. Any one of the elders is a revered figure, and it is an honor to be invited to their residence. Sun Qian and Su Keciu were a bit shy, always lowering their heads and not speaking.
In fact, the two of them had very similar behavior. Whether it was their thin skin or fear of death, or their current synchronous drooping heads, Chen Mo referred to it as "couple look-alike".
Zuo Quansheng was a martial arts aficionado. After the battle, he was as if a puppet on strings, holding the papers he had copied and reading them meticulously, completely oblivious to what was happening outside.
Only Chen Mo was more normal. However, his straightforward sitting like an owner seemed to make Huo An, the seventh elder, a bit unsure of himself. "Am I not the one who should be the host here?"
"Ahem, my disciple from the Raoshan sect was inconsiderate and unintentionally upset you. I hope you won't take offense."
Huo An cleared his throat and then poured a cup of tea for Chen Mo.
"Seven elders, thank you for your generosity."
Chen Mo nodded slightly, took the cup of tea, and said indifferently, "I am but an obscure individual; it's not worth the seventh elder summoning so many people. I've heard that your sect is the first great sect in Qingzhou...".
"Even if it's a great sect, they still need to uphold decorum, justice, and virtue... Moreover, your strength is extraordinary. With your martial physique, you easily defeated my Raoshan sect's seventh-level disciple. In my opinion, your strength is definitely at the sixth or even fifth level."
Chen Mo: "..."
Chen Mo: "..." In fact, Chen Mo himself didn't know what level of his own strength was; before he died, he was just a lowly ninth-level scum, mercilessly tormented by Ye Liangchen. After being resurrected, he became so formidable that even he was surprised.
As for the demeanor, it was indeed not up to par with others.
"Seven elders personally invited me up here, so there must be some other reason."
Chen Mo didn't pick up the thread of conversation; instead, he changed the subject and asked directly.
Sun Qian and Su Keciu both raised their heads at the same time and looked towards Huo An, who nodded slightly and said, "I assume you've heard about our Raoshan sect's old ancestor's instructions regarding disciples?"
Chen Mo nodded, "I just heard about it."
"Our Raoshan sect has the reputation of being the number one sect in Qingzhou, all thanks to our old ancestor who has connections everywhere. But our old ancestor has a peculiar temperament; he often wanders around outside for years at a time. The last time he went away, it was for thirty years. Now that he's back, he's announced that he wants to take disciples, and even the sect master can't figure out his intentions."
"Based on what you've said, it seems that our old ancestor has never taken disciples before. What's with the tone you're using? You seem to have some reservations about the old ancestor taking disciples."
Huo An sighed helplessly, drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, and then poured: "If the old ancestor takes disciples within the sect, the sect master and us elders have no complaints. However, he insists on recruiting from around the world...".
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and suddenly thought of the few people from the Zhenwu Bureau he had encountered before the duel, "Are you at odds with the empire?"
Huo An was taken aback and stared at Chen Mo in surprise before explaining, "People with different ideologies do not work together. In the past, our Raoshan sect had a good relationship with the Tianlong Empire. However, as the empress has grown older and become increasingly confused, she has appointed a grand master who has created chaos throughout the empire."
"Then, she acted as a lazy manager, handing over the affairs of the empire entirely to the grand master..."
"The grand master took office and started purging the enemies, causing many deaths among the high officials. The remaining ones submitted to him and became his puppets. Moreover, the Zhenwu Bureau underwent a turbulent period. The two powerful figures who disobeyed orders were sent to restricted areas under various pretexts, leaving the Bureau in the grand master's control."
So, Pei Jiangnan must have gone to the restricted area... Chen Mo stroked his chin, his expression growing even more serious. Thankfully, he didn't go to the capital at the beginning, or else if something happened to him, he would truly be in a situation where heaven wouldn't listen and the earth wouldn't respond.
"Our Raoshan sect is the number one great sect in Qingzhou, and the grand master has been coveting our sect for a long time. However, with the old ancestor in residence, he dare not act recklessly... Now that the old ancestor is taking disciples, he naturally wants to interfere..."
"Therefore, the grand master sent high-level talents from the Zhenwu Bureau to participate in the competition."
"Yes, that's right"
Huo An nodded slightly, "As you may have seen, they have sent out top talents from the younger generation this time. In terms of age and strength, there is nothing we can say..."
"If Raoshan sect is the first great sect in Qingzhou, then your disciples must not be weak, right?"
"The Zhenwu Bureau is the imperial instrument and not an ordinary group. They have put a lot of effort into this competition and brought out several outstanding talents from the Bureau. Although our disciples from Raoshan sect are strong, they are no match for them... I suggest letting you from Raoshan sect hold them off."
…
Tianlong Dynasty, the Imperial Capital Miao Mansion
In the dimly lit hall, snakes, insects, mice and ants crawled in every corner. This would be seen as a symbol of impurity in any large household, and it would be desirable for the servants to kill these repulsive creatures. However, in Miao Mansion, these things were treasured as if they were precious jewels.
Sitting on the main throne was an elderly man dressed in a long robe of deep red. He was known as Miao Tiannan, the Grand Master of the Tianlong Dynasty, who had come to the capital several decades ago at the invitation of the Tianlong elder, Long Ling.
Afterward, Long Ling recommended Miao Tian to the Tianlong Empress, and at first, things were not going well for him. However, for some unknown reason, he suddenly received important assignments and gradually climbed to the position of the Grand Master, who wielded immense power in the court.
The grand master, whose hair and beard were all white, had a pair of somber eyes that carried a sense of darkness. His wrinkled face was devoid of life, and his lips and corners twitched occasionally. His emaciated body revealed a skeleton under the skin, and his hands poking out from his sleeves were thin as bones. He held a letter in his hand.
The twitching corner of his eye suddenly froze, and the grand master Miao Tiannan's face turned cold instantly, "Ten disciples from the Hedai Empire died without any reason, and there has been no clue about it so far. Now, the disciples in Beijiang have suffered heavy casualties, and even the supreme master of Ling Xiao sect has died. Who is responsible for this?"
Miao Tiannan coldly stared at the few people in black robes who were standing in the hall, their mouths tightly shut. "You bunch of insects, have you been doing nothing? Such a small matter cannot be investigated? If the master knows, none of you will survive."
"Grand Master, the Hedai Empire incident was indeed due to our network's negligence... However, regarding the Beijiang matter, we have some leads. We have investigated the high-level talent who came out of the secret realm on that day and found one group that was suspicious."
"Who is it, and where is he now?"
"The name is not known, but his whereabouts have been confirmed as being within Raoshan sect."
Miao Tiannan's brows were knitted tightly, "Raoshan sect... Whether they are unintentional or intentionally against me, under no circumstances can we allow them to leave Raoshan sect alive."
