Ever since Ji Changkong obtained the Taixu Secret Record, he knew it was only the first volume. It contained the cultivation methods spanning from the First Yuan Heaven up to the Seven Star Heaven, but the profound secrets and cultivation techniques for the Bagua Heaven, Nine Palace Heaven, and Ten Directions Heaven realms were absent from the volume residing in his mind.
The Taixu Secret Record had always been deep within his consciousness, and while he knew Li Hentian must be well-informed about it, he was still somewhat surprised when Li Hentian finally brought up the subject.
Not far away, the Huangfu clan members were deep underground, administering antidotes to the captives on Blood Rain Mountain. With He Haoran and Baili Ke already rescued, once the poisons were purged from their systems, it would become significantly harder for figures like the Dark King and Zheng Jieshi to wreak havoc on Blood Rain Mountain.
Over at Xuanyuan Valley, as long as Mu Luo, Gui Rong, and Gui Hai remained, it was unlikely any foolhardy individuals would dare stir up trouble. Even Murong Tuo would certainly not provoke Xuanyuan Valley without absolute certainty of success.
The subsequent cleanup and follow-up arrangements would naturally be discussed and handled by the Huangfu, Chen, and Murong clans; it truly required none of his personal exertion.
Therefore, he summoned Mu Luo, Gui Rong, and Gui Hai to give them a few final instructions, and then he and Li Hentian departed, unconcerned with when the Huangfu clan members might succeed in reviving He Haoran and the others.
“Old Li,” Ji Changkong couldn't help but ask on the journey toward Mount Tianshan, “how did the second volume of the Taixu Secret Record end up on Mount Tianshan?”
“Once we arrive at Mount Tianshan, someone will naturally answer that for you…” Li Hentian remained tight-lipped, not revealing a single clue.
￥￥
At the Peak of Mount Tianshan.
Towering proudly between heaven and earth, Mount Tianshan resembled a colossal sword piercing the clouds. The mountain slopes were already shrouded in ethereal mist, and the summit where the Qiankun Sect resided was perpetually enveloped in clusters of white, billowing fog.
The wind was bitterly cold, and snow drifted down in ceaseless flakes.
Within the ice-palace-like Qiankun Sect, in front of the massive training grounds, silent snowmen stood erect.
Before the crystalline palace where icicles hung like frozen daggers, Liu Qing, Chen Qisen, and Chen Qilin sat cross-legged, heads bowed, breathing evenly, seemingly immersed in silent, arduous cultivation.
The experts of the Qiankun Sect and the Manichaean Cult maintained their mutual vigilance; this standoff had persisted for a considerable time.
Until a command descended from the Nine Heavens, neither the Qiankun Sect nor the Manichaean Cult dared to make any rash moves, thus preserving the status quo.
Deep within the nine layers of cloud and mist, not even the slightest abnormal sound had registered from beginning to end; the two earth-shattering powerhouses, both possessing Nine Palace Heaven cultivation, had vanished from the world without any cataclysmic upheaval as everyone had imagined.
After an unknown duration, amidst the swirling blizzard, a graceful, fairy-like figure descended with light steps.
Clad in thin, hazy gauze, her exquisite physique shimmered in and out of view, capable of resonating with the deepest chambers of a man’s soul, compelling one to involuntarily sink into a beautiful dream from which they never wished to awaken. Merely a glance seemed enough to wipe away all earthly sorrow and hardship.......
The Qiankun Sect experts, who had been maintaining their hostile alertness toward their rivals, now all appeared utterly spellbound, their eyes completely captured by the elegant figure, unable to tear their gaze away.
Even the so-called masters like Liu Qing, Chen Qisen, and Chen Qilin, who had reached the Eight Trigram Heaven realm, betrayed an expression of utter infatuation, struggling to maintain self-control.
That form, seemingly the most perfect in existence, floated gently down onto a palanquin untouched by ice or snow, before sinking into its interior from the top canopy.
“Let’s go,” a soft, honeyed voice drifted from within the sedan chair.
The figures previously resembling ‘snowmen’ scattered around the palanquin stirred, shaking off the accumulated snow. Without a word, they lifted the sedan and flew straight toward the depths shrouded in mist.
The palanquin vanished into the vast whiteness, and the bewildered expressions on the faces of Liu Qing and Chen Qisen slowly receded, replaced by stark panic.
“Where is the Sect Master!” Liu Qing cried out, quickly looking upward.
Chen Qisen, Chen Qilin, and the other Qiankun Sect masters all raised their gazes toward the Nine Heavens obscured by thick clouds, their faces etched with unconcealed urgency.
A tall, slender figure slowly descended, finally coming to rest beside Liu Qing.
“Sect Master, how was it?” Liu Qing urgently inquired.
Chen Qisen and Chen Qilin, the eldest masters from the Chen family, watched with focused intensity as Gu Dan descended from the sky, not daring to relax their guard in the slightest.
Gu Dan’s victory or defeat carried immense implications; even figures of their stature could not entirely suppress the excitement churning within them.
Gu Dan’s eyes, as placid as stagnant water, paused on Liu Qing for a second. Without a word, he abruptly turned and walked toward the ice palace built of crystalline structures.
Chen Qisen and the other master, though frantic, dared not press for answers. They could only signal desperately to Liu Qing with their eyes.
Liu Qing appeared not to notice their anxious signals. Seeing that Gu Dan had not spoken, he refrained from further questioning and respectfully followed Gu Dan toward the ice chamber that led into the interior of Mount Tianshan.
Only Liu Qing and Wang Xuelan followed Gu Dan inside that forbidden area where he cultivated. For several days, they did not emerge. Both Chen Qisen and Xue Biantao were profoundly worried, unsure if Gu Dan had sustained injuries in his battle with Saint Mother Youlan.
As long as Gu Dan remained inside, Xue Biantao and the others, receiving no orders, could only stand guard outside; no one dared enter.
Two more days passed, and Gu Dan still had not reappeared.
The wind was piercingly cold, and hailstones lashed down violently. The Qiankun Sect was enveloped in an atmosphere of chilling frost.
With Gu Dan’s prolonged absence, Xue Biantao began to fear that he might have been wounded in the confrontation with Saint Mother Youlan. Gu Dan was not only the Sect Master of the Qiankun Sect but also one of the spiritual pillars of the Three Central Kingdoms. For the Shuiyun Kingdom, Gu Dan’s existence represented the most crucial defense against foreign invasion; if he were defeated or gravely injured, the blow to the Shuiyun Kingdom would be immense.
As everyone in the Qiankun Sect grew anxious, a duo—one old, one young—arrived at the peak of Mount Tianshan at the height of the hailstorm.
Ice hailstones, hard as cobblestones and massive, plummeted from the Nine Heavens. When they struck the two figures, they made loud thudding sounds, yet the pair took no defensive measures, allowing the stones to batter their bodies.
“Who goes there?” the young Heavenly Scholar shouted, his sharp sword aimed directly at the intruders, cold as ice and snow itself.
“Stand down!” Xue Biantao commanded sharply, waving away the disciple who had only been in the Qiankun Sect for about a decade. He personally stepped out of the ice palace to meet the elderly man whose expression was one of cold indifference.
“Great Elder…” Xue Biantao bowed with a wry smile, unsure of what exactly to say.
“I am no longer an Elder of the Qiankun Sect; you need not bow to me.” Li Hentian’s expression was detached. He narrowed his eyes, glanced briefly at the Chen Qisen brothers, and nodded slightly.
The two Chen brothers returned the greeting with equally strained smiles.
“Until the Sect Master speaks otherwise, you will always be an Elder of our Qiankun Sect, even if you deny it,” Xue Biantao replied with a slight smile. Perhaps because of Li Hentian’s arrival, he seemed suddenly relieved.
“The situation on Blood Rain Mountain has been resolved. I have come to see the Sect Master on official business,” Li Hentian stated.
“After the battle with Youlan, the Sect Master entered the mountain depths with the two Elders and has not emerged. We are unsure if he sustained injuries…” Xue Biantao briefly summarized the circumstances.
Li Hentian’s brow furrowed slightly. He did not speak further and suddenly closed his eyes in front of Xue Biantao.
Ji Changkong, who had accompanied him, showed a flicker of surprise, suddenly realizing that Li Hentian was releasing a portion of his spirit sense, allowing it to drift toward the depths of Mount Tianshan.......
When cultivation reaches profound realms, communicating via the spirit sense becomes far more convenient. However, one must be extremely cautious when connecting spirits, lest they become vulnerable to those with ill intentions, which could prove perilous.
Li Hentian had cultivated to the peak of the Eight Trigram Heaven realm, granting his spirit sense boundless utility. Although there were other Eight Trigram Heaven cultivators in the Qiankun Sect on Mount Tianshan, they appeared trustworthy; otherwise, Li Hentian would not have been so unrestrained.
His action did not escape notice. Xue Biantao and Chen Qisen recognized what he was doing, and a hint of joy appeared in their eyes.
Gu Dan and Liu Qing, along with the others in the mountain depths, had not emerged. Xue Biantao and Chen Qisen were deeply worried about Gu Dan, filled with unease, constantly hoping to ascertain his condition. Yet, due to restrictions imposed by their rank, they could not venture into the depths to question him, only maintaining their silent vigil outside.
Li Hentian was one of the very few individuals qualified to communicate directly with Gu Dan’s spirit sense. Seeing him attempt this, Xue Biantao and Chen Qisen were naturally elated, hoping to receive some news from Li Hentian shortly.
“Eh…” Xue Biantao seemed to suddenly notice something, looking curiously at Ji Changkong standing beside Li Hentian. He stepped forward, scrutinizing him more closely, murmuring under his breath, “So much resemblance…”
“Hey! Is that any way to look at someone?” Ji Changkong glared at Xue Biantao, his expression showing considerable displeasure.
“Young man, what is your name?” Xue Biantao paused, then laughed awkwardly, asking the question aloud.
“Ji Changkong, right?” Chen Qisen suddenly interjected, his expression strangely complex.
A fleeting strange light flashed in Xue Biantao’s eyes. He seemed to grasp something suddenly and chuckled softly, “So that’s it…”
“What are you muttering to yourself about?” Ji Changkong frowned, growing impatient. He felt that Xue Biantao and the others were acting bizarrely, their gazes upon him carrying an inexplicable quality, as if they were concealing secrets from him.
“Nothing… hehe, nothing at all.” Xue Biantao quickly shook his head with a smile, exchanging a meaningful glance with Chen Qisen, before asking Ji Changkong with a grin, “I’ve heard tales of your exploits. Hehe, to have reached the Six Harmonies Heaven realm at such a young age—not bad, truly impressive!”
Ji Changkong remained unmoved by Xue Biantao’s praise. He stared deeply at the elder for a moment before finally speaking, “Old man, do you know something about me? I see your eyes flickering; you are clearly hiding a secret. Tell me, what exactly do you know?”
Why the Taixu Secret Record resided in the depths of his mind, why the second volume was at the Qiankun Sect—many things remained shrouded in doubt for him right now. Based on Xue Biantao’s expression, this man likely knew something about him.
“I don’t know anything, I truly know nothing…” Xue Biantao repeatedly waved his hands, thinking to himself that this young man was truly troublesome. A youth raised by the Great Elder from childhood was certainly not someone to be underestimated.