IOAFD - 1157. Juicy Gossip

After the end of the Immortal Sect Competition, the flying boat of the Southern Temple lingered over the Northern Ancient City for many days. This was the largest immortal city in the eastern region of the Wester Wumu Subcontinent, the home of the Ancient Academy. There were two reasons for the Southern Temple’s extended stay.

First, this place was close to the Three Rivers Treasure Valley, where many shocking incidents took place at the end of the Immortal Sect Competition. The Southern Temple wanted to find out more about the circumstances surrounding the Limitless Sword Hall and why they kidnapped Chen Wentian. They also wanted to see the response from the eastern subcontinent as well as the Immortal Association.

The other reason was their most talented and most important disciple, Zhe Xu. After suffering from Wu Qianyu’s mysterious Dao, Zhe Xu remained in a terrible state. Every day, his body was wracked by phantom pains and bouts of agony. Every night, his mind was tortured by memories of the terror he experienced under her sword. Worried about his future, the Southern Temple called upon the Ancient Academy and invited their sect master who was a spiritual healer. After several days of treatment, Zhe Xu’s condition finally improved.

“Senior brother, it’s time for the medicine.”

Inside the most luxurious room of the Nine Cloud Tower, Zhe Xu lay on a recliner, reading a scroll.

“Come in,” He said and sat up.

A junior came in with a tray and a steaming pot. He laid it on the table and stood back patiently.

“Any news from the Limitless Sword Hall?” Zhe Xu asked, ignoring the medicine.

“Yes, senior brother. We heard from Jiling Temple that there was a battle near their territory. It’s said that the sword master of the Limitless Sword Hall was chasing Chen Wentian when they both suddenly disappeared. Some of the elders believe that the Limitless Sword Hall fell prey to Chen Wentian’s tricks. Others believe there is a greater power hidden behind Ten Thousand Flower Valley.”

“Alright, I don’t need idle speculation,” Zhe Xu waved his hand.

Naturally, he didn’t care too much about this incident. After all, Chen Wentian had already taken over Zhe Xu’s soul. He could have easily solved Zhe Xu’s condition. But instead, he purposely made it worse so that he could pretend to be sick.

“What is the sect doing in response?” He asked.

“Reporting to senior brother, Grand Abbot Ash Palm has set out for Jiling Temple. He will investigate the situation on behalf of the sect master.”

Chen Wentian nodded. The grand abbot was one of the two Spirit Kings of the Southern Temple. The sect wasn’t treating this matter lightly. With the disappearance of the sword master, the power of the Limitless Sword Hall fell by a wide margin. It was the perfect time for the other sects to expand their influence.

“Tell me about the other contestants of the Immortal Sect Competition. Did anybody find Gao Hong?”

“No, senior brother. It’s believed that before the end of the competition, Gao Hong secretly left the Three Rivers Treasure Valley. Her master, Immortal Wandering Mirage Liu Yan, increased the reward for her information to two hundred thousand taels of gold. But there has been no news. The disciples of several sects reported that they saw Gao Hong force her way into the center of the ice bat cave. The divine beast’s remains there probably fell into her hands, giving her the confidence to abandon her ugly master.”

Chen Wentian knew that this was the correct explanation. He had witnessed it from a distance through his shadow anchors. Gao Hong went into the ice bat cave with eight men. She came out alone and soon disappeared. As she left, he had sensed a faint divine aura within her.

He didn’t have any strong feelings about the incident. He wasn’t the only one in the world who deserved to get lucky. Gao Hong used to be a disciple of Glacier Palace. He wouldn’t find trouble for her. He merely wished that she would have a good life from now on.

“Alright, any other news?”

“Yes, senior brother,” The junior perked up and smiled slyly, “It seems that senior brother’s guess was correct. The Burning Heart Fang Churan of the Red Crane Temple recently met with Ming He of the Eastern Light Clan. It is said that he gifted her the bone marrow from the legbone of a deepworld tortoise as well as an ancient dragon scale. What the ancestors said was true. The best way into a woman’s heart is with expensive gifts. Alas… the fifteenth rank of the Proclamation of Heaven’s Way, stolen by the east just like that, what a pity.”

Chen Wentian chuckled, “Not a pity, only a man like Brother He can conquer the Burning Heart.”

The junior nodded and continued to report on the latest developments. Aside from Ming He, there was also news about the Seven Seas Sacred Palace. The Bloody Lovers, Hai Qiao and Hai Weiyan, helped their sect establish a formal relationship with the Beast God Sanctum. It was said that the pair had even accepted an invitation to the far east.

The Beast God Sanctum seemed to have gained the most out of the various grassroots sects. Aside from the Seven Seas Sacred Palace, they also established a relationship with the Sapphire Mystic Empire. Thousand Petals Qian Lei was seen following the Beast God Sanctum around. She was especially clingy around their men. It was clear what had transpired.

Aside from the juicy gossip, the junior also reported on the abnormally high casualty rate within the Three Rivers Treasure Valley. The east suffered a few notable losses including Jiang Xinyan from the Dao School of Crow Mountain, Chen Siwen from the Skycloud Temple, and Lu Yao from the Kingdom of Zion. All of them were famous names from the list of beauties.

Jiang Xinyan and Chen Siwen disappeared without a trace while Lu Yao’s body was found with terrible wounds, signs that she had been repeatedly abused until she died from her wounds. The Kingdom of Zion declared a holy war on the west but as a mere Spirit Lord Realm sect, there was little they could hope to accomplish.

More shocking than this were the losses of the west. They lost over forty disciples from the Proclamation of Heaven’s Way. It was an astonishing number. Nearly half of the top disciples who were seeking the immortal path were either dead or missing. Many sects of the west were going crazy trying to find out what happened.

Chen Wentian naturally knew that one of the main culprits was Ten Thousand Flower Valley, but he wasn’t going to admit it to anyone.

Wu Qianyu’s mission had been fight the strong disciples of the west to hone her Sorrowful Sword Style. She was solely responsible for killing five men who deserved to die and wounding another seven, less despicable, people. His other disciples also killed many who wanted to harm them.

If the west wanted to blame someone, they could only blame themselves.

“Senior brother, there is one more thing.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“Miss Jiu Yurong of the Ether Royal Clan wishes to meet with you.”

Chen Wentian, having laid down at some point, sat up in surprise, “The Sleeping Idol Jiu Yurong? What does she want?”

Before the junior disciple could answer, the door opened and an ethereal beauty stepped inside.

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