If before pushing open this door, Fu Chaosheng still harbored some strange resentment in his heart, then the moment he heard Jian Chou’s words, all of it completely dissolved.

He couldn’t even quite understand his own state of mind at this moment.

He simply felt inexplicably that this female cultivator standing before him and speaking to him was very beautiful. After being stunned for quite a while, he followed with a slight smile, pursing his lips, and said: “This old friend must remember the words spoken today.”

“Good.”

Jian Chou naturally had her own sense of right and wrong in her heart. After last night’s discourse on the Dao with Qu Zhengfeng, she had gained much more clarity about the formation of various thoughts in her mind. The words she spoke to Fu Chaosheng now were certainly not child’s play.

So she responded with this single word in a solemn tone.

The two had nothing more to say.

The stone pavilion was built very elegantly and was also very small, right beside the water pond piled with lake stones. Jian Chou and Fu Chaosheng both sat down, able to hear the gurgling sound of flowing water. Looking up, they could see the light gradually rising point by point at the horizon, gradually piercing through the gloomy sky of Mingri Xinghai.

Jian Chou asked: “Speaking of which, you were going to investigate the Void Silkworms before. How did that investigation go?”

Void Silkworms, ancient remnant species.

They clearly had no spiritual intelligence, yet were born naturally understanding the rules of heaven and earth’s space. The silk they produced could be used to create Qiankun Bags capable of storing items.

When Zheng Yao had spoken of this before, Fu Chaosheng had been very interested, but he didn’t know how it had turned out later.

Fu Chaosheng had indeed gone to investigate, but the results weren’t very optimistic. He shook his head and said: “If I told you, old friend, that I actually faintly sensed a very familiar feeling from those Void Silkworms, would you dare believe it?”

“I believe it. Why wouldn’t I believe it?”

The Ephemeral clan seemed to all be born at dawn and die at dusk, yet behind this destiny of brief existence, didn’t they also give birth to a great demon like Fu Chaosheng who completely defied heaven?

Jian Chou felt that ancient clans having connections with each other was perfectly normal.

Fu Chaosheng then fell silent, strangely saying nothing more.

Jian Chou wasn’t someone who had to speak either. Compared to meaningless communication, she preferred to sit quietly like this, sorting through the various complex thoughts in her mind.

Including what was about to happen after dawn.

Originally, the many sects and forces from Nineteen Continents had gathered at Mingri Xinghai to discuss together the matters regarding the Extreme Domain. However, because that prodigy from Kunwu, Xie Buchen, was undergoing tribulation, causing True Person Hengxu to arrive two days late, the originally scheduled council day had also been postponed to today.

The location for the council was naturally arranged at Jiexing Mountain Manor.

Although the Medicine King Yi Ming Xiansheng and the Seven-Tribulation Loose Immortal Cangji Sanren were both long-renowned, they had no interest in handling mundane affairs. So the actual ruler of Mingri Xinghai was the new Sword Emperor Qu Zhengfeng, and the council location naturally had to follow him.

Nineteen Continents hadn’t had such a major event in a long time.

Northern Domain’s Chanzong, the Yin-Yang Two Sects, Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand, Southeastern Wilderness, Southwestern aristocratic families—almost all those who ranked among the prominent had come here.

In the early morning, when the time arrived, they all headed toward Jiexing Mountain Manor.

The twenty-odd people from Yashan weren’t very anxious.

Jian Chou was in the courtyard when she heard movement outside, then walked out with Fu Chaosheng to meet with everyone at the entrance.

Elder Fudao Shanren, Sect Leader Zheng Yao, the other two elders Bi Yan and Xihe, and naturally Zuoliu, Kou Qianzhi, Shen Jiu, Bai Yin, Chen Weishan, Jianghe, Fang Xiaoxie, and more than ten other disciples.

Although something slightly unpleasant had happened yesterday, everyone seemed unaffected by it.

Especially Fudao Shanren.

When Jian Chou met up with everyone, he still hadn’t arrived. They waited for quite some time before hearing off-key humming, then seeing him walk over from the other direction, hand waving a chicken leg, face full of joy.

Everyone was instantly speechless.

Fudao Shanren had no self-awareness about his lateness. Seeing them all standing there like fools, he even raised his chicken leg to point at them, asking in surprise: “What are you all looking at me like that for? Did this mountain person wear the wrong clothes today?”

He looked down to examine himself—still the same dirty Daoist robe, he hadn’t changed clothes at all.

Jian Chou was helpless.

Zheng Yao felt like spitting blood, went up to grab Fudao Shanren over, repeatedly saying “didn’t wear wrong, didn’t wear wrong,” then called for everyone to set off.

This was clearly knowing Fudao’s nature and being too lazy to even explain.

After all, as long as the person came, that was good. As for Jiexing Mountain Manor’s side, being late was being late—surely those people wouldn’t dare give Yashan attitude?

Besides, famous great sects arriving a bit late—what was wrong with that?

So despite setting off very late, the people of Yashan weren’t panicked at all, heading normally toward Jiexing Mountain Manor.

The vast Lan River flowed through the star sea.

Jiexing Mountain Manor was on a mountain beside the Lan River. When Jian Chou had last come to the star sea, she had already been here. Seeing that Drinking Snow Pavilion again, thinking of the “Draw Sword” technique Qu Zhengfeng had taught her, she felt quite overwhelmed with emotions.

The one receiving guests outside the manor gate was Yu Shanxing. Seeing them, he led them inside.

“People from other sects have all arrived and are currently in Lanyue Hall. I’ll take you there right now.”

Yu Shanxing had no idea what kind of connection the sect he represented had with Yashan, but remembering the kindness when Fudao Shanren had spoken up for him last time, his attitude was particularly warm. He was completely without the few points of deliberate arrogance he’d shown when receiving people from other sects before, and was especially talkative.

“You’re not really late anyway, since our Sword Emperor is still behind talking with Cangji Sanren and Yi Ming Xiansheng, and won’t be going for a while yet.”

Sword Emperor Qu Zhengfeng, Medicine King Yi Ming Xiansheng, Seven-Tribulation Cangji Sanren.

These three were truly the top-tier experts of Mingri Xinghai.

Hearing this, everyone felt several degrees more solemn, but those with the most careful minds, like Jian Chou, noticed not the latter half of Yu Shanxing’s words, but the “Lanyue Hall” he mentioned in the first half.

Yashan’s main hall was called “Lanyue Hall”;

Jiexing Mountain Manor’s council hall was called “Lanyue Hall.”

She felt uncomfortable in her heart. As she followed Yu Shanxing up the steps, she couldn’t help but glance at Fudao Shanren, but he was still walking while gnawing his chicken leg, without the slightest unusual expression on his face, as if he hadn’t noticed this detail at all.

In Lanyue Hall, people had indeed arrived mostly.

When Jian Chou walked in, she immediately saw True Person Hengxu standing on the eastern side of the hall talking with someone, and Xie Buchen standing quietly behind him with his hands behind his back.

Mid-stage Worldly Entry, with restrained sharpness, like a piece of cold jade.

When the Yashan group entered, they immediately attracted much attention from others who came to exchange pleasantries, though their examining gazes were inevitably somewhat strange.

Yashan was different.

The current master of this place was former Yashan disciple Qu Zhengfeng. Although he had already become the Sword Emperor, he still had considerable connections with Yashan. To put it harshly, he was still a traitor who had brought shame to Yashan and made them lose face.

So they paid more attention to Yashan.

True Person Hengxu remained the same as always, as if he were neither stepping on someone else’s territory nor on Qu Zhengfeng’s territory. Seeing that the Yashan people had finally arrived, he laughed: “Brother Fudao has finally arrived.”

Fudao Shanren also laughed, teasing him: “Your Kunwu is after all the number one famous orthodox sect among our Central Domain’s Left Three Thousand. Coming so early, truly not putting on any airs at all—where does that leave our Yashan’s face?”

“Haha…”

Everyone hearing this laughed.

Only True Person Hengxu’s smile became somewhat lighter at this moment. He swept his gaze around this spacious hall and said calmly: “The council is a major matter, there’s no need to put on airs. Moreover, we’re currently in Mingri Xinghai, so naturally guests should follow the host’s customs. We visitors should naturally not display greater airs than the host family.”

The surrounding laughter suddenly became quiet.

Today, without exception, all those who could appear in this hall were influential strong figures from various sects, schools, and forces of Nineteen Continents, with cultivation levels that were all quite high. Except for certain ones with unique cultivation paths, most were people who had lived for a long time and were shrewd—how could they not hear the meaning in True Person Hengxu’s words?

Everyone had arrived, and the only one who hadn’t arrived was the “host family”!

They had been in Mingri Xinghai for three or four days, and this new Sword Emperor who ruled the star sea could truly be described as elusive—he hadn’t even shown his face once.

Even now, he was still nowhere to be seen.

Everyone couldn’t help but begin pondering True Person Hengxu’s and Kunwu’s attitude toward this matter and toward Qu Zhengfeng. But before they could think too deeply, the protagonist they had been discussing had already arrived.

Not only had he arrived, but he happened to overhear True Person Hengxu’s words just now. While still outside the hall, he laughed boldly and actually continued: “Hearing True Person’s meaning, it seems you’re blaming Qu for putting on too many airs.”

Everyone hearing this voice turned to look.

This voice was clearly Qu Zhengfeng’s. Others might not be able to tell, but everyone from Yashan, including Jian Chou, knew it clearly.

Only compared to his former scholarly elegance, he had gained several degrees of natural evil and authority.

He walked in from outside, wearing a somber and oppressive brocade black robe, hands behind his back, with no sword at his waist, and his face carrying light, casual smile.

After sweeping his gaze around, it settled on True Person Hengxu.

Walking in with him was another person, an aged elder with a somewhat hunched back and waist. His grayish Daoist robe seemed lifeless, soaked with a lingering medicinal scent. His eyelids drooped as if he couldn’t be bothered to look at anyone.

Though few people had seen this elder before, when he appeared, everyone’s minds involuntarily conjured the same name—

Medicine King, Yi Ming Xiansheng!

Jian Chou had only had contact with people from Saochen Studio before and was seeing Yi Ming Xiansheng for the first time. She should have paid more attention, but after hastily sweeping her gaze over him, her eyes involuntarily fell back on Qu Zhengfeng and she couldn’t help but slightly furrow her brow.

In the past, Qu Zhengfeng had been a disciple under Yashan’s Fudao Shanren, still a generation lower than Kunwu’s True Person Hengxu. Regardless of what had happened before, meeting face to face, he should still observe some superficial courtesy.

Now, Qu Zhengfeng was the new Sword Emperor of Mingri Xinghai. Everyone had thought that after he betrayed Yashan, slaughtered Jianzhu Sect, and seized the “Nine Bends River Chart,” he would certainly have changed, but they had never imagined the change would be this great.

This could be seen just from his attitude toward True Person Hengxu.

That sentence just now seemed to be laughing, but the inner meaning was mocking and sharp. It was clearly just such a simple sentence, yet everyone had already caught several degrees of hidden gunpowder scent from it, and an obvious discord.

True Person Hengxu naturally felt it too.

But he had been in charge of Kunwu for many years and had seen many things. He wouldn’t be provoked into anger by such a simple retort and lose his composure. Instead, he remained very calm and replied to Qu Zhengfeng: “The Sword Emperor of Mingri Xinghai, and the host family at that—putting on some airs is harmless.”

Everyone hearing this broke out in cold sweat.

But Qu Zhengfeng laughed out loud. His gaze swept over the Yashan group and he saw Jian Chou looking at him, as well as the ephemeral great demon Fu Chaosheng beside her, whom he had already met once. He naturally thought of yesterday.

Looking at the current situation, his formidable little junior sister should have already handled the matter properly.

He laughed inwardly for no reason, but Qu Zhengfeng showed no sign of it. He naturally turned his gaze away. Hearing True Person Hengxu’s completely uncompromising words, he didn’t think much of it. Instead, he quite obviously looked around behind him, as if searching for someone.

But he didn’t find them.

So he withdrew his gaze and asked Hengxu blandly: “Today’s council is such an important matter, Kunwu has brought all sorts of people, so why is Senior Shen Jiuhan with the Purple Star Sword nowhere to be seen? How strange.”

Purple Star Sword, Shen Jiuhan!

As soon as he spoke these words, those who didn’t know who this person was had no reaction and just felt confused. But those who knew who this person was and what relationship he had with the Yin-Yang Realm battle from eleven cycles ago were all shocked with alarm. Looking at Qu Zhengfeng’s seemingly calm face, they felt cold air rushing from their feet to the top of their heads!

Was he going to settle old scores?!