Chapter 15 — The Message Sent Three Years Ago

Chen An brought all the tea.

Not metaphorically.

Shen Yuan stared at the tray.

Six teapots.

Three jars of loose leaves.

One sealed box containing Cloudveil Peak's best spirit tea.

Another containing something Shen Yuan vaguely remembered receiving from Gu Tianhe two years ago.

"Chen An."

"Yes, Peak Master?"

"I didn't mean literally all of it."

"You said all the tea."

"I was emphasizing the seriousness."

Chen An looked at the table.

"So was I."

Lin Yue turned away.

Jian Wuchen's mouth twitched.

Ye Feng looked between them.

He had visited Azure Origin Sect before.

He had heard of Cloudveil Peak.

Quiet.

Remote.

Nearly empty.

Its young Peak Master rarely appeared publicly.

None of the stories had mentioned this.

Shen Yuan sat.

"Fine."

Chen An poured the first pot.

"Sit."

Ye Feng hesitated.

His gaze shifted toward Jian Wuchen.

Then Shen Yuan.

Finally—

he sat.

Jian Wuchen took the chair opposite him.

Lin Yue sat beside her junior brother.

Chen An remained standing.

Shen Yuan looked at him.

Chen An looked back.

Another chair appeared from his storage ring.

He sat.

Apparently that argument had already been settled.

Shen Yuan poured tea.

"Start from the funeral."

Ye Feng's expression became serious.

"Three years ago, Jian Wuchen's master, Elder Jian Shou, died in the Black Ridge Mountains."

Jian Wuchen's fingers tightened.

Even after three years—

hearing the name hurt.

Ye Feng noticed.

He continued carefully.

"The official report said he encountered a fifth-grade Ironback Blood Bear."

Shen Yuan nodded.

"Li Cangwu told me."

Ye Feng's eyes sharpened.

"Grand Elder Li?"

"You know him?"

"Everyone who practices the sword in the Northern Region knows him."

Shen Yuan took a sip.

Apparently everyone except him.

Ye Feng continued.

"My master didn't believe the report."

"Why?"

"He saw Elder Jian's body."

Jian Wuchen looked up.

"What?"

Ye Feng became silent.

Jian Wuchen leaned forward.

"Your master inspected him?"

"Yes."

"You never told me."

"I couldn't."

"Why?"

"Because he ordered me not to."

Jian Wuchen's expression hardened.

"That's not an answer."

"I know."

The two stared at each other.

Old rivalry.

Old friendship.

Three years of things unsaid.

Shen Yuan didn't interrupt.

Eventually, Ye Feng spoke.

"My master found a sword wound."

Silence.

Jian Wuchen went completely still.

"Where?"

"Behind his heart."

Ye Feng touched his own chest.

"Extremely thin. Almost impossible to see."

Jian Wuchen's face lost color.

"He said the wound had been disguised using beast Qi."

Shen Yuan set down his cup.

"Meaning?"

"The Ironback Blood Bear did attack Elder Jian."

Ye Feng looked at Jian Wuchen.

"But only after he was already dying."

The pavilion became quiet.

Jian Wuchen stared at the table.

His master had been strong.

Nascent Soul.

Experienced.

Careful.

Jian Wuchen had never understood how a fifth-grade beast had killed him so cleanly.

He'd accepted it because—

what else could he do?

The body had been damaged.

The beast had been found nearby.

The elders had confirmed the cause.

Now—

"Who found the body?"

Shen Yuan asked.

Ye Feng answered immediately.

"Jian Clan patrol."

"Who performed the official examination?"

Jian Wuchen looked up.

His expression changed.

"Elder Jian Hong."

"Where is he now?"

Jian Wuchen became silent.

Then:

"Dead."

Shen Yuan sighed.

Of course.

"When?"

"Two years ago."

"Cause?"

"Failed Core Formation breakthrough."

Shen Yuan stared.

Jian Wuchen understood.

"Too convenient."

"Very."

Ye Feng continued.

"My master told me not to speak because he didn't know who could be trusted."

"Name."

"Master Duan Zheng."

Shen Yuan stored it.

"Affiliation?"

"Profound Sword Sect."

That got everyone's attention.

Jian Wuchen frowned.

"You never told me he was from the Profound Sword Sect."

"He left before taking me as a disciple."

"Why?"

Ye Feng's expression became complicated.

"He wouldn't say."

Shen Yuan already suspected this would connect somewhere unpleasant.

"Which lineage?"

Ye Feng looked at him.

"Third."

Not Seventh.

Interesting.

"Continue."

Ye Feng nodded.

"The funeral was held six days after Elder Jian's death."

"Master came with me."

"During the ceremony, he received a transmission."

Ye Feng paused.

"I had never seen him afraid before."

Jian Wuchen's eyes narrowed.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing at first."

"He grabbed my shoulder and told me we were leaving."

"I refused."

Jian Wuchen almost smiled.

That sounded like Ye Feng.

"He slapped me."

Jian Wuchen's smile disappeared.

Ye Feng gave a humorless laugh.

"First and only time."

"He told me if I stayed, I would die."

"Then he gave me a jade slip."

Ye Feng reached into his robes.

He placed something on the table.

A broken piece of jade.

Jian Wuchen stared.

"You still have it?"

"Yes."

Shen Yuan picked it up.

Cracked.

Almost no spiritual energy remained.

But there was something inside.

A sealed message.

Damaged.

Ye Feng continued.

"Master told me not to open it."

"Why?"

"He said the seal would break only under two conditions."

Ye Feng looked directly at Jian Wuchen.

"If he died."

A pause.

"Or if you cultivated again."

Silence.

Jian Wuchen stared.

Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed.

"When did it activate?"

"This morning."

Ye Feng looked at the jade.

"I was cultivating when it suddenly burned through my storage pouch."

"Then it showed me a location."

"Cloudveil Peak."

Lin Yue frowned.

"How would a three-year-old message know Junior Brother would be here?"

Ye Feng shook his head.

"It didn't."

He pointed toward Jian Wuchen.

"It followed his Sword Intent."

That was possible.

Especially if Duan Zheng understood something about Jian Wuchen's Sword Heart.

Shen Yuan inspected the jade with Immortal perception.

Complex.

Old.

But not beyond him.

He found two seals.

One broken.

One still intact.

Interesting.

"Have you opened the message?"

"No."

"Why?"

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Ye Feng looked at Jian Wuchen.

"It belongs to him."

That answer seemed to matter.

Jian Wuchen stared at his former rival for several seconds.

Then:

"Open it."

Ye Feng nodded.

He placed two fingers on the jade.

Nothing happened.

He frowned.

"It won't."

Shen Yuan examined it again.

"The second seal."

Ye Feng looked over.

"What second seal?"

"It requires something."

"What?"

Shen Yuan followed the formation.

Then smiled.

"Sword Intent."

Jian Wuchen stood.

He placed two fingers on the jade.

His Heart Meridian moved.

A thin thread of Sword Intent entered.

The jade shattered.

Light filled the pavilion.

A translucent figure appeared.

Middle-aged.

Broad shoulders.

Simple gray robes.

A scar crossed his left cheek.

Ye Feng inhaled sharply.

"Master."

Duan Zheng's recording looked around.

Of course—

it couldn't see them.

Then it spoke.

"If this message has opened, one of two things has happened."

"Either I am dead..."

Ye Feng's face tightened.

"...or Jian Wuchen has found another path."

Jian Wuchen became still.

Duan Zheng smiled faintly.

"If it's the second, then the stubborn brat actually did it."

Jian Wuchen's expression changed.

He remembered the man.

Not well.

A few meetings.

A few arguments.

Duan Zheng had once watched him spar Ye Feng for six hours without interfering.

At the end, he had told both of them their footwork was terrible.

The recording continued.

"Wuchen."

"If you're seeing this, listen carefully."

"Your master's death was not an accident."

Jian Wuchen's jaw tightened.

"I examined Jian Shou's body."

"He was struck by the Seventh Severing Sword."

Li Cangwu had not mentioned that.

Shen Yuan's eyes sharpened.

Duan Zheng continued.

"A technique belonging to the Profound Sword Sect's Seventh Lineage."

Ye Feng closed his eyes.

Confirmation.

Not complete proof.

But close.

"I do not know who struck the blow."

"Do not assume it was Zhou Xuanji."

Shen Yuan leaned back.

Interesting.

"He is involved."

"But I believe he is not the one controlling events."

The recording flickered.

"Three months before Jian Shou died, the Sword Bell rang nine times."

"I was still connected to people inside the sect."

"I learned something I should not have."

The figure's expression became grim.

"The Seventh Lineage has been searching for the First Sword Tomb Key for at least three hundred years."

Jian Wuchen's eyes narrowed.

"Not because they want the inheritance."

A pause.

"Because they want to make sure no one opens it."

Silence.

Lin Yue frowned.

"Why?"

The recording couldn't answer her.

But it continued.

"There are records beneath the Seventh Lineage's ancestral hall."

"Records older than the Profound Sword Sect."

"They speak of the Seven Guardians."

"The Nine Gates."

"And something called..."

The image distorted.

"...the Heaven-Severing Calamity."

Shen Yuan's expression changed.

Heaven-Severing.

The scripture he'd just created.

The Dao Origin he'd received.

The broken sword fragment.

Too many coincidences.

Duan Zheng's recording continued.

"I could only read fragments."

"Most were damaged."

"But one line was intact."

The image flickered again.

Then the man spoke slowly.

"When the Ninth Sword walks the mortal earth, the severed road shall bleed again."

No one spoke.

Duan Zheng continued.

"I don't know what it means."

"But the Seventh Lineage does."

"And they're afraid of it."

Jian Wuchen's grip tightened.

"If Jian Wuchen's Sword Heart fully awakens, they will act."

"They may try to recruit him."

"Control him."

"Cripple him."

The recording paused.

"Or kill him."

Jian Wuchen's expression became cold.

Three years ago—

they had chosen cripple.

Why?

Perhaps because killing him wasn't possible.

Or because they needed him alive.

Shen Yuan stored that thought.

Duan Zheng looked forward.

"Wuchen."

"If your cultivation has returned, do not go to the Profound Sword Sect."

Ye Feng's face changed.

"Do not trust the Seventh Lineage."

Another pause.

"Do not trust the Sect Master."

Shen Yuan frowned.

Which Sect Master?

Duan Zheng continued.

"And if Li Cangwu is still alive..."

Shen Yuan became attentive.

"...find him."

Good.

"He's an arrogant old bastard."

Shen Yuan smiled.

Jian Wuchen blinked.

"But if the Profound Sword Sect still has anyone worth trusting..."

Duan Zheng's expression softened.

"...it's him."

The recording began fading.

Ye Feng stepped forward.

"Master."

The image couldn't hear him.

Duan Zheng's final words came quietly.

"Ye Feng."

His disciple froze.

"I'm sorry."

"If I disappear, don't look for me."

Ye Feng's eyes reddened.

"Live."

"That's enough."

The light vanished.

The broken jade fell onto the table.

No one spoke for a long time.

Finally—

Shen Yuan poured tea.

Ye Feng stared at the empty space where his master had been.

"He knew."

"Some of it," Shen Yuan said.

"He knew he might disappear."

"Yes."

"And I listened."

Ye Feng laughed bitterly.

"For three years, I listened."

He looked at his hands.

"I didn't search."

Jian Wuchen spoke.

"He told you not to."

Ye Feng looked up sharply.

"So?"

"So you obeyed your master."

"He might have been imprisoned."

"You didn't know."

"I should have—"

"Stop."

Ye Feng froze.

Jian Wuchen's voice was calm.

Not gentle.

But firm.

"You don't get to blame yourself for information you didn't have."

Ye Feng stared.

Three years ago, he might have expected anger.

Accusation.

Perhaps hatred.

Instead—

Jian Wuchen understood.

Because he'd spent three years doing the same thing.

Wondering what he should have noticed.

What he should have prevented.

What he should have done differently.

Shen Yuan watched both of them.

Good.

No unnecessary misunderstanding.

Those were exhausting.

Lin Yue looked toward Shen Yuan.

"Master."

"Hm?"

"The message said not to go to the Profound Sword Sect."

"Yes."

"But Grand Elder Li already went back."

"Yes."

"And the Seventh Lineage controls the sect right now."

"Acting Sect Master."

"Yes."

She paused.

"Should we warn him?"

Shen Yuan considered.

Li Cangwu was Body Integration ninth stage.

Experienced.

Suspicious.

Carried a wooden sword.

Probably difficult to kill.

Still—

"Yes."

Shen Yuan reached for his communication jade.

Then stopped.

He didn't have Li Cangwu's transmission imprint.

Of course.

He had known the man for several hours.

Shen Yuan looked at Ye Feng.

"Can you contact the Profound Sword Sect?"

Ye Feng shook his head.

"Not securely."

Chen An spoke.

"Sect Master Gu may have an official communication formation."

Everyone looked at him.

Chen An sipped his tea.

"What?"

Shen Yuan stood.

"Useful."

"I try."

"Come."

Chen An paused.

"Me?"

"You suggested it."

"That doesn't mean—"

Space opened.

Shen Yuan stepped through.

Chen An stared.

Then sighed and followed.

The passage closed.

Ye Feng looked at Lin Yue.

"Does he always do that?"

She thought.

"Recently."

Jian Wuchen picked up his tea.

"You'll adjust."

Ye Feng stared.

"You've been here less than a day."

"Long enough."

Sect Master Hall.

Gu Tianhe was sleeping.

Technically—

meditating.

His eyes were closed.

His breathing calm.

Three documents rested unopened before him.

The sect was quiet.

Peaceful.

Then space opened in his office.

Gu Tianhe's eyes snapped open.

Shen Yuan stepped through.

Chen An followed.

Gu Tianhe stared.

"Door."

Shen Yuan paused.

"What?"

Gu pointed.

"There is a door."

Shen Yuan looked.

Indeed.

"I know."

"Use it."

"The spatial passage was faster."

"You are thirty steps from my palace."

"Still faster."

Gu closed his eyes.

He had aged considerably since Shen Yuan's breakthrough.

Not physically.

Spiritually.

"What happened?"

"We need to contact Li Cangwu."

Gu's eyes opened.

"Grand Elder Li Cangwu?"

"Yes."

"The Profound Sword Sect's Li Cangwu?"

"Yes."

"The Sword Madman?"

Shen Yuan thought.

"He seemed reasonable."

Gu stared.

"You met him?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Today."

"Where?"

"Ancient Sword Tomb."

Gu became silent.

Chen An stood respectfully beside Shen Yuan.

He had learned this was safest.

Gu slowly pushed the documents aside.

"Sit."

Shen Yuan sat.

Chen An prepared to remain standing.

Gu pointed toward another chair.

"You too."

Chen An hesitated.

"Sect Master—"

"If Shen Yuan brought you through space into my office, hierarchy has already failed."

Chen An sat.

Fair.

Gu looked at Shen Yuan.

"Start at the beginning."

Shen Yuan considered.

That would take time.

So he summarized.

Jian Wuchen.

Ancient Sword Tomb.

Nine Sword Meridians.

Li Cangwu.

Seven Guardian Lineages.

Zhou Xuanji.

Eight-thousand-year traitor.

Profound Sword Sect Seventh Lineage.

Duan Zheng.

Heaven-Severing Calamity.

By the end—

Gu Tianhe had stopped interrupting.

That was concerning.

He sat quietly.

Then reached for tea.

There was none.

Shen Yuan looked at Chen An.

Chen An shook his head.

"We brought all of it to Cloudveil Peak."

Right.

Gu stared.

"All of what?"

"Nothing."

Shen Yuan continued.

"We need your communication formation."

Gu rubbed his forehead.

"Of course you do."

He stood.

"Follow me."

They descended beneath the Sect Master Hall.

Three sealed doors opened.

Inside was a circular chamber covered in formations.

At the center stood a jade platform.

Gu placed his hand on it.

"Azure Origin maintains emergency transmission connections with several major righteous sects."

"Profound Sword Sect included."

"Can you contact Li Cangwu directly?"

"No."

"But I can reach their Sect Master Hall."

Shen Yuan frowned.

That might be compromised.

Gu noticed.

"You don't trust their Sect Master Hall."

"No."

"Then what?"

Shen Yuan thought.

"Can we send a message that only Li Cangwu would understand?"

Gu looked at him.

"Yes."

"What?"

"A public transmission."

Shen Yuan smiled.

Gu immediately disliked the smile.

"No."

"I haven't said anything."

"Whatever you're thinking, no."

Chen An quietly looked away.

Shen Yuan ignored both.

"Send this."

Gu waited.

Shen Yuan thought about Li Cangwu.

Their conversation.

The Sword Tomb.

Then smiled.

"Tell him..."

He paused.

"...his realm is complicated."

Gu stared.

Chen An closed his eyes.

"That's your emergency warning?"

"He'll understand."

"Will anyone else?"

"No."

Gu thought about it.

Unfortunately—

that made sense.

He activated the formation.

Light rose.

A message traveled across thousands of kilometers.

Toward the Profound Sword Sect.

At that exact moment—

Li Cangwu stood before the gates of his sect.

Something was wrong.

He had known before arriving.

The mountain was too quiet.

The sword formations were active.

Not defensive formations.

Containment formations.

Designed to prevent people from leaving.

His wooden sword hummed.

Behind him, Song Yao and the Seventh Lineage disciples stood uneasily.

Li Cangwu looked toward the main peak.

"Who activated the Sevenfold Sword Prison Formation?"

Song Yao became pale.

"I don't know."

He looked at her.

This time—

she wasn't lying.

Good.

Bad.

A bell rang.

Once.

The main gates closed behind them.

Li Cangwu smiled.

"Interesting."

Figures appeared above the surrounding peaks.

Dozens.

Then hundreds.

Profound Sword Sect elders.

Disciples.

Formation masters.

At the highest point stood a middle-aged man in dark gold robes.

Zhou Tianluo.

Acting Sect Master.

Seventh Lineage Master.

He clasped his hands.

"Grand Elder."

Li Cangwu looked up.

"Open the formation."

Zhou Tianluo smiled.

"You've only just returned."

"Open it."

"Why hurry?"

Li Cangwu's hand rested on his wooden sword.

Song Yao slowly moved away from him.

Not toward Seventh Lineage.

Away from both.

Smart.

Zhou Tianluo continued.

"We have much to discuss."

"Such as?"

"Jian Wuchen."

There it was.

Li Cangwu smiled faintly.

"What about him?"

"He entered the Sword Tomb."

"Yes."

"He opened two gates."

Li Cangwu's expression didn't change.

Internally—

everything did.

He had told no one.

Shen Yuan had told no one.

Jian Wuchen had only just returned.

Yet Zhou Tianluo knew.

"Who told you?"

Zhou Tianluo smiled.

"The Sword Tomb is not as isolated as you believe."

Li Cangwu slowly drew his wooden sword.

Hundreds of weapons around the sect unsheathed.

Then—

the communication formation above the main hall lit up.

Everyone looked.

An official Azure Origin Sect transmission.

A voice echoed.

Gu Tianhe's voice.

Calm.

Formal.

"Azure Origin Sect sends greetings to the Profound Sword Sect."

Zhou Tianluo frowned.

The message continued.

"For Grand Elder Li Cangwu."

Li Cangwu looked up.

Then came the sentence.

"Your realm is complicated."

Silence.

Several elders looked confused.

Zhou Tianluo frowned.

Song Yao looked equally baffled.

Li Cangwu—

laughed.

Loudly.

Zhou Tianluo's eyes narrowed.

"What does that mean?"

Li Cangwu raised his wooden sword.

"It means..."

His smile disappeared.

"...I was right not to trust you."

Boom!

Sword Intent exploded.

The entire Profound Sword Sect shook.

Cloudveil Peak.

Shen Yuan felt the distant communication formation complete.

Good.

Warning sent.

He returned through space with Chen An.

The moment they arrived—

Ye Feng stood.

"We found something."

Shen Yuan looked at him.

"What?"

Ye Feng had spread the broken pieces of his master's jade slip across the table.

Lin Yue stood beside him.

Jian Wuchen held one fragment.

There was writing on its reverse side.

Tiny.

Almost invisible.

A coordinate.

Shen Yuan approached.

"Where?"

Ye Feng's expression was grim.

"I don't know."

Jian Wuchen placed his finger on the carved numbers.

"But I do."

Everyone looked at him.

"These aren't ordinary coordinates."

He reached into his robes.

He removed the Sword Tomb Key.

The patterns matched.

Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed.

Jian Wuchen continued.

"My clan used the same system in old maps."

"Where does it point?"

Jian Wuchen looked toward the west.

"Outside the Northern Region."

"How far?"

"Very."

"Location?"

Jian Wuchen swallowed.

"The Dead Sword Wasteland."

Ye Feng became pale.

Lin Yue frowned.

"What's that?"

Ye Feng answered.

"A forbidden zone."

"How dangerous?"

"Nascent Soul cultivators disappear there."

Lin Yue looked at Shen Yuan.

He looked interested.

That was not reassuring.

Jian Wuchen continued.

"My clan has a story about that place."

"What story?"

"The Dead Sword Wasteland didn't exist eight thousand years ago."

Shen Yuan's expression changed.

Eight thousand again.

Jian Wuchen looked at the key.

"It appeared overnight."

"After what?"

Jian Wuchen raised his eyes.

"The sky was cut."

Silence.

The Pre-Severance sword fragment inside Shen Yuan's storage space trembled.

Once.

The system appeared.

[Major Destiny Location detected.]

[Dead Sword Wasteland.]

[Connection to Jian Wuchen: Extremely High.]

[Connection to Ancient Sword Tomb: Confirmed.]

[Connection to Pre-Severance Era: Confirmed.]

Then—

another line appeared.

[Possible Sword Tomb Key detected.]

Shen Yuan's eyes sharpened.

[Estimated Keys Present: 1.]

Two of seven.

Potentially.

The system continued.

[Warning.]

[Location contains spatial instability.]

[Unknown Sword Dao entity detected.]

[Unknown sealed lifeforms detected.]

[Higher-order law contamination detected.]

[Recommended minimum cultivation: Body Integration.]

Shen Yuan smiled.

Jian Wuchen saw it.

"Master."

"Hm?"

"Why are you smiling?"

"No reason."

Lin Yue looked toward Ye Feng.

"That's usually bad."

"I noticed."

Shen Yuan dismissed the system.

They weren't leaving immediately.

Jian Wuchen had only just established his Sword Foundation.

Lin Yue had a spar promised with Zhao Tianming.

The Profound Sword Sect was currently dealing with whatever Li Cangwu had walked into.

And—

Shen Yuan looked at Ye Feng.

Another matter remained.

"Your master may still be alive."

Ye Feng froze.

Jian Wuchen looked sharply at Shen Yuan.

"Why?"

"The message."

Shen Yuan pointed at the coordinates.

"If Duan Zheng expected his death, he could have simply recorded what he knew."

He looked at Ye Feng.

"Instead, he hid a location behind a seal that only opened when Jian Wuchen cultivated again."

Ye Feng's breathing changed.

"Meaning?"

"He wanted Jian Wuchen to find it."

"Or..."

Lin Yue understood.

"...find him."

Ye Feng stood.

"I'll go."

"No."

The answer came from three people.

Shen Yuan.

Jian Wuchen.

Lin Yue.

Ye Feng stared.

Jian Wuchen spoke first.

"You just said Nascent Soul cultivators disappear there."

"He's my master."

"And?"

"And I'm not sitting here if he might be alive."

Jian Wuchen stood.

"Then don't go alone."

Ye Feng paused.

Jian Wuchen looked at Shen Yuan.

"Master."

Shen Yuan already knew.

"You want to go."

"Yes."

"You've been my disciple for less than one day."

"Yes."

"You've already found an Ancient Sword Tomb, an eight-thousand-year conspiracy, and a forbidden wasteland."

Jian Wuchen considered.

"Productive day."

Lin Yue laughed.

Shen Yuan sighed.

He couldn't even disagree.

"We'll go."

Ye Feng looked at him.

"We?"

"Cloudveil Peak."

Lin Yue immediately stood straighter.

Shen Yuan looked at her.

"No."

Her expression fell.

"Why?"

"You have a spar."

She stared.

"You're leaving me behind because of a spar?"

"You agreed."

"So?"

"Keep your promises."

Lin Yue became silent.

That mattered to her.

Shen Yuan continued.

"And someone needs to stay here."

"Chen An."

The attendant, who had been quietly organizing empty teapots, looked up.

"No."

Lin Yue stared.

Chen An continued.

"I manage Cloudveil Peak."

"Exactly."

"I don't fight."

"You cultivate."

"Qi Refining."

"So?"

Chen An looked at Shen Yuan.

"Peak Master."

"She's staying."

"Good."

Lin Yue sighed.

Jian Wuchen almost smiled.

Senior sister defeated by administration.

Shen Yuan looked at Ye Feng.

"We leave after Jian Wuchen stabilizes his foundation."

"How long?"

Shen Yuan checked.

"Three days."

Jian Wuchen frowned.

"Three?"

"Minimum."

"I can do two."

"No."

"Two and a half."

"No."

Ye Feng looked between them.

Lin Yue leaned toward him.

"Don't argue."

"Why?"

"He'll make it four."

Shen Yuan smiled.

"Correct."

Jian Wuchen became silent.

Fast learner.

Then—

the sect bell rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Lin Yue looked toward the main peak.

Chen An stood.

"Assembly bell."

Shen Yuan frowned.

Gu Tianhe's voice spread across Azure Origin Sect.

"All Peak Masters and Grand Elders."

"Main Hall."

"Immediately."

Shen Yuan sighed.

Administration.

His oldest enemy.

Then Gu added:

"Shen Yuan."

A pause.

"I know you're listening."

Lin Yue looked at him.

Jian Wuchen looked at him.

Chen An smiled.

Gu's voice continued.

"Do not pretend to be in seclusion."

Shen Yuan became offended.

He hadn't even considered that.

Yet.

"Come."

The transmission ended.

Chen An handed him a fresh outer robe.

Shen Yuan stared.

"You prepared that?"

"I anticipated resistance."

Six years.

Far too familiar.

Shen Yuan put it on.

Then looked at his disciples.

"Stay here."

Lin Yue nodded.

Jian Wuchen nodded.

Ye Feng hesitated.

"I'm not your disciple."

Shen Yuan looked at him.

"Stay anyway."

Ye Feng sat.

Reasonable.

Shen Yuan left.

Main Sect Hall.

All Five Great Peak Masters were present.

Grand Elder Mo Qingfeng sat near Gu Tianhe.

Several senior elders lined the chamber.

Qin Feng noticed Shen Yuan enter.

"You're late."

Shen Yuan looked around.

Everyone else had apparently arrived.

"By how much?"

"Two breaths."

"Tragic."

Mu Qinglan smiled faintly.

Shen Yuan sat.

Gu Tianhe looked tired.

More tired than earlier.

That was impressive.

"Something happened."

Qin Feng folded his arms.

"Profound Sword Sect?"

Gu looked at him.

"How do you know?"

"Everyone knows."

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Already?

Qin continued.

"Half the Northern Region knows."

That was less ideal.

Gu activated a formation.

An image appeared.

A mountain range.

Sword formations.

Explosions.

Profound Sword Sect.

"Three hours ago, internal fighting began inside the Profound Sword Sect."

Mu Qinglan frowned.

"Scale?"

"Large."

"Casualties?"

"Unknown."

Gu looked toward Shen Yuan.

"Grand Elder Li Cangwu appears to be fighting the Seventh Lineage."

Everyone turned.

Shen Yuan remained calm.

Qin Feng stared.

"Why do I feel like this is your fault?"

"It isn't."

"Are you involved?"

"Indirectly."

Qin closed his eyes.

"Of course."

Gu continued.

"The Profound Sword Sect has sealed its territory."

"Nobody enters."

"Nobody leaves."

Mo Qingfeng opened his eyes.

"That alone wouldn't require every Peak Master."

Gu nodded.

"It wouldn't."

He changed the image.

A map appeared.

Northern Region.

Then—

red points.

One.

Three.

Seven.

Twelve.

Twenty.

They were moving.

Toward Azure Origin Sect.

Mu Qinglan's expression sharpened.

"What are those?"

"Demonic cultivators."

The room became quiet.

Gu continued.

"Bloodriver Sect."

Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

There it was.

A name he'd heard before.

One of the largest demonic factions.

Led by Patriarch Bloodriver.

Tribulation Transcendence.

According to public knowledge.

Qin Feng stood.

"How many?"

"At least two thousand."

Several elders reacted.

Gu continued.

"Three Nascent Soul."

"Seventeen Core Formation."

"Hundreds of Foundation Establishment."

"And one..."

He paused.

"...Void Refining."

Mo Qingfeng stood.

That changed the room.

Azure Origin Sect could handle many things.

A Void Refining demonic cultivator leading two thousand people was not minor.

"Target?" Mu Qinglan asked.

Gu looked at Shen Yuan.

Everyone followed.

Shen Yuan stared.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Gu answered.

"They sent a message."

Of course.

"What does it say?"

Gu placed a blood-red jade slip on the table.

Shen Yuan read the projected words.

Deliver Jian Wuchen.

Deliver the Sword Tomb Key.

And Bloodriver Sect will pass Azure Origin Sect without incident.

Silence.

Qin Feng slowly looked at Shen Yuan.

Mu Qinglan did the same.

Mo Qingfeng's expression became cold.

Gu Tianhe leaned back.

"Well?"

Shen Yuan stared at the message.

His disciple.

His key.

His sect.

Then—

he laughed.

Quietly.

Not because it was funny.

Because the situation had become remarkably simple.

Gu watched him.

"What are you thinking?"

Shen Yuan stood.

"That I was worried the next three days would be complicated."

Qin Feng frowned.

"And now?"

Shen Yuan looked toward the north.

Far beyond the sect formations—

thousands of demonic cultivators were approaching.

His expression remained calm.

"Now I know what to do."

The system appeared.

[Threat to registered disciple detected.]

[Disciple Jian Wuchen has been targeted by external faction.]

[Protective Master-Disciple Event triggered.]

[Bloodriver Sect.]

[Threat classification: High — Mortal Realm.]

Then—

a final notification appeared.

[Optional Investment Opportunity.]

Would Host like to invest in disciple survival?

Shen Yuan stared.

Then smiled.

"That's an interesting way to phrase murder."

No one else heard the system.

Qin Feng heard Shen Yuan.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Shen Yuan walked toward the hall doors.

Gu Tianhe stood.

"Where are you going?"

"To solve it."

"Shen Yuan."

He stopped.

Gu's expression was serious.

"Bloodriver Sect's force includes a Void Refining elder."

"I know."

"Patriarch Bloodriver may be behind this."

"I know."

"He's Tribulation Transcendence."

"I know."

Gu stared at him.

Then remembered.

Immortal.

Right.

For several seconds—

the Sect Master said nothing.

Finally:

"Try not to destroy the Northern Region."

Shen Yuan considered.

"No promises."

Qin Feng stared.

Mu Qinglan sighed.

Mo Qingfeng looked interested.

And far to the north—

two thousand demonic cultivators crossed the mountains.

At their front stood an old man in blood-red robes.

His eyes were black.

His aura covered the sky.

In his hand—

he held a message that had arrived only an hour earlier.

No sender.

No signature.

Only four lines.

The First Key has awakened.

The Sword Heart lives.

Take Jian Wuchen alive.

Kill his master if necessary.

The old man smiled.

"Kill his master?"

Blood Qi rolled across the heavens.

"How difficult could that be?"