Chapter 66: The Seed of Disaster

After Liao Yan left with the five elders, the Purple Mist Hall fell into a long silence. No one spoke, and many faces still bore a look of shock and fear, as if they hadn't fully recovered from what had just happened. The atmosphere was tense, as if a storm was about to break.

Previously, although Liao Yan had not explicitly stated what had happened, some of the more astute disciples and members had sensed something amiss. When they looked at the young man in the center of the hall, their gazes were filled with a mix of incomprehension and complexity. What kind of trouble had this young man gotten into that even the head of the sect had to handle it with such caution?

Despite the many questions and astonishments in their hearts, no one dared to challenge the young man. After a brief glance at Shen Chen, they all averted their eyes. For a long time, the entire hall remained quiet.

In the eyes of many disciples and most of the elders, this young man had undoubtedly gained an extremely special and revered status within the Flowing Cloud Sect. Although Liao Yan had not explicitly stated everything, the attitude of the head and the five elders made it clear that many things were already self-evident.

Therefore, for a long time to come, unless absolutely necessary, no one in the Flowing Cloud Sect would dare to provoke this young man. Everyone knew the severe consequences of offending a future heavyweight of the sect!

It had to be said that today's competition had already seen Shen Chen conquer almost everyone with his extraordinary performance. These victories were hard-earned through one thrilling battle after another.

On the Tianlong Continent, the strong were always revered, a timeless rule!

"Alright, everyone, disperse. Remember the head's warning; there must be no mistakes!" After a long while, some of the senior members of the sect realized that the atmosphere was detrimental to the head's plans. Fei, the steward, stepped forward to disperse the crowd, telling them to go about their business.

Before leaving, the highly respected Master Qi Zheng also stood up, his voice icy and stern, warning the disciples, "If anyone dares to betray Little Brother Shen Chen, they will meet the same fate as this pillar!"

Qi Zheng's words were simple, and his actions were direct and brutal. He threw his golden spear with great force, and a massive stone pillar in the Purple Mist Hall, thick enough for several adults to encircle, was pierced through with a hole the size of a bowl!

This scene shocked many disciples, and when they realized that the one who spoke was the war god Qi Zheng, they were all terrified, bowing their heads and fleeing in panic.

Although Qi Zheng usually appeared gentle and refined, when he was truly angry, even some of the elders dared not provoke him.

"Master Qi Zheng, I don't know what to say..." Shen Chen, standing in the center of the hall, was already red-eyed. He walked over to face Qi Zheng, feeling at a loss for words. This was the first time he had encountered such a broad and generous spirit.

"Then let's leave it unsaid," Qi Zheng smiled warmly, pulling Shen Chen towards the exit of the Purple Mist Hall. "I promised to treat you to good wine. Don't worry about the other matters; I trust the head will handle them."

"But, Master Qi Zheng, don't you want to know what happened?" As they walked out of the hall, Shen Chen sighed, feeling somewhat puzzled.

With this master's intelligence, Shen Chen believed he could not have missed the unusual circumstances.

"Ha ha, everything is unsaid. We can talk about it later when the dust settles. For now, let's go drink!" Qi Zheng, however, seemed unconcerned, his gaze fixed ahead, his steps steady and strong, not even willing to ask about the previous events. His carefree demeanor left Shen Chen in awe.

Thus, the two quickly left the Purple Mist Hall. By this time, most of the people had already dispersed, and everything seemed to have returned to peace and tranquility. However, no one noticed that among the last group of outer disciples to leave, a pair of eyes, filled with a dark shadow, had been staring at the two as they left, like a venomous snake in the darkness that had found its prey...

...

At the foot of Yunlan Peak, everything had quickly returned to normal. However, in the lecture hall at the peak of Yunlan Peak, the atmosphere was strange and solemn.

The head, Liao Yan, and the five elders had hurriedly arrived here. As soon as they stepped into the lecture hall, they saw three old men with wrinkled faces sitting on the seats above the entrance, directly under the portrait of the founding ancestor of the Flowing Cloud Sect.

There was originally only one large seat, where the head or the five elders would sit when lecturing to the inner disciples. This seat held great symbolic significance in the Flowing Cloud Sect, representing the transmission of the founder's power.

Ordinarily, not only outsiders but even the disciples and members below the five elders would be severely punished if they dared to sit there, as it would be considered a desecration of the sect's ancestors.

However, these three uninvited guests not only sat there but also found it insufficient and had two more seats brought in.

Such a disrespectful act was a direct challenge to the Flowing Cloud Sect's highest taboo, and it had clearly touched the most sensitive nerves of Liao Yan and the five elders. They could have been torn to pieces for this!

However, when they looked at the three old men, despite their anger, they had to swallow their pride. The attire and the aura emanating from the three old men, which even made Liao Yan feel a chill, forced the six to suppress their indignation and not show any signs of displeasure.

The three old men, who could make Liao Yan and the five elders so fearful, were clearly no ordinary figures. In fact, their attire already revealed a lot.

All three were dressed in dark black robes, with a skull pattern embroidered on their chests using high-quality silver thread. In the middle of their belts, a large, pitch-black gemstone was embedded.

These details pointed to one thing: the three old men were from the Outer Sect of the Yuming Palace, a colossal and terrifying force on the Tianlong Continent.

For a small sect like the Flowing Cloud Sect, the identity of these three old men, who were Outer Sect elders of the Yuming Palace, was like a heavy mountain pressing down on Liao Yan and the five elders, making their breathing tight.

When Liao Yan and the five elders entered the hall, several sect stewards were carefully serving the best tea to the three old men. Seeing the arrival of the sect's leadership, the stewards visibly relaxed. As the leader of the sect, Liao Yan had no choice but to step forward with an extremely humble attitude and quickly and simply explain the situation to the three old men.

"Head Liao, so you're saying that the little thief hasn't been here recently?" After listening to Liao Yan's explanation, the old man in the center spoke calmly, without any hint of suspicion.

After all, they had tracked through the territories of numerous sects, and this place, the Flowing Cloud Sect, was just one of many. It was normal for their target not to be here, and the three old men had no reason to doubt it.

"Respected seniors, our sect has indeed not seen the little thief you are looking for. Even if I had ten lives, I would not dare to deceive the Yuming Palace!" Liao Yan, at this moment, was extremely humble, showing none of his usual authority. His words sounded like he was trying to please the three old men.

In his heart, Liao Yan also breathed a sigh of relief. As he had expected, without concrete evidence, even the people from the colossal force would not act rashly...

"Since that's the case, we won't trouble you further. We apologize for the disturbance, and we hope Head Liao will understand!" The old man in the center said calmly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Although he was used to such flattery and sycophancy, the extreme reverence shown to the Yuming Palace still pleased him.

"Ha ha, the journey must have been tiring for you, seniors. It's getting late, and if you don't mind the simplicity of our sect, please stay for a few days. I would like to show you some hospitality!" Liao Yan continued to speak insincerely.

Behind him, the five elders nodded in approval of his performance. The more humble Liao Yan was, the less likely it was to arouse the suspicion of the three old men.

Sure enough, when they heard Liao Yan's offer to have them stay, the three old men smiled with satisfaction, a hint of disdain in their eyes. It was clearly not late, as it was only a little past noon, but they took it as Liao Yan's attempt to curry favor with the Yuming Palace.

This kind of sycophancy and flattery was nothing new to them. Almost every place they visited, the local sects tried to keep them and treat them well.

A place like the Flowing Cloud Sect, located in a remote area with modest accommodations, was not something they would even consider staying at if not for their mission.

For a moment, Liao Yan's actions had convinced the three old men that there was no issue here. However, as Outer Sect elders of such a colossal force, they were not careless. They still needed to go through the formalities.

The old man with a youthful face and white hair on the left side spoke calmly, "We don't need to stay. We have an important mission, and we can't afford to be blamed for not catching the little thief. However, we have orders to thoroughly investigate every place we visit to avoid missing any leads. I will send my subordinates to gather information from the other members and disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect. I hope Head Liao won't mind."

"Ha ha, seniors, you are too kind. This is a serious matter, and I will fully cooperate. How could I refuse?" Liao Yan responded with a forced smile, as if he was eager for them to stay longer and was trying to please them.

In his heart, however, Liao Yan had already cursed the old man's ancestors. The old man's words sounded polite, but his tone left no room for negotiation, as if he was giving an order!

As the head of the sect, Liao Yan found the old man's tone extremely distasteful. If not for the safety of the young man, he would have refused them outright. However, he had to endure it to protect the young man.

As for the so-called "gathering information," it was just a way to verify his earlier statements. Fortunately, Liao Yan was prepared and remained calm.

However, Liao Yan's efforts were not in vain. The old man with the youthful face and white hair soon pointed to a man in black holding a short knife behind him and ordered, "Lei Song, take the portrait of the little thief and go to the foot of the mountain to gather information from the members and disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect. Be polite to Head Liao's people and don't cause any trouble!"

From the old man's words, it was clear that they had no interest in personally questioning the members of the Flowing Cloud Sect. This relieved Liao Yan and the five elders behind him.