Chapter 623 - 283: The Missing Sect Leader and the Vast Gameboard
Chapter 623: Chapter 283: The Missing Sect Leader and the Vast Gameboard
Leng Jing was taken aback and hurriedly followed in, wanting to stop Wei Wan from disturbing the Sect Leader’s seclusion.
Su Xin also flew in behind.
Beyond the stone door, there was an entirely different world.
Stone walls, forests, waterfalls, the scenery was quite beautiful. Beneath the waterfall was a giant boulder, which was where Chen Qingmo was practicing in seclusion.
However, at this moment, there was no one on that boulder.
Leng Jing’s astonished and angry face showed surprise: "How could this be?"
Back when the Sect Leader went into seclusion, he and Junior Sister Tantai had accompanied the Sect Leader in.
Leng Jing remembered clearly, the Sect Leader was sitting on the giant boulder in the stream at that time.
If one were in seclusion cultivating, they wouldn’t easily move.
But now, Chen Qingmo’s figure was no longer on that boulder.
"Sect Leader, Sect Leader, where are you?"
Leng Jing searched all around, turned the Spirit Vein Immortal Mansion upside down, yet still couldn’t find any trace of Chen Qingmo.
Su Xin was also full of confusion and suspicion. She had considered countless possibilities, even being prepared to be killed by the Sect Leader to silence her.
But she never expected such a scenario.
Wei Wan suddenly laughed: "Elusive and mysterious, just as expected of his style."
"Impossible! Impossible!"
Leng Jing’s face turned pale, and after searching again, he finally confirmed that Chen Qingmo was truly not here.
"Could it be... the Sect Leader has already entered eternal rest?"
Su Xin shook her head: "Junior Martial Uncle Leng, if the Sect Leader had entered eternal rest, there would be a Spiritual Power Golden Body left behind, but there’s nothing here."
Leng Jing stood dumbfounded in the stream, "What on earth is happening?"
Right now, the Zhenyang Sect has already lost three elders in succession. If even the Sect Leader has gone missing, perhaps other sects and the Western Emperor Palace won’t wait for the Immortal Ascension Ceremony six months later; maybe they will attack Zhenyang Mountain as soon as tomorrow.
"What are you all doing?!"
Suddenly, a voice filled with shock and anger came from behind, and Tantai Mingyue flew in.
Only, when she saw the scene in front of her, she was also dumbfounded.
"Where is Senior Brother Sect Leader?"
Su Xin turned back to look at her, murmuring, "Master, the Sect Leader... is missing."
Tantai Mingyue’s face instantly turned pale, losing her usual grace and elegance, as she frantically searched throughout the Spirit Vein Immortal Mansion, finding nothing.
Her lips trembled slightly, her hair becoming somewhat disheveled: "Senior Brother, how could Senior Brother be missing? Could it be, could it be he has fallen victim to someone’s treachery?"
Wei Wan said coldly: "Maybe he never entered here in the first place?"
"Impossible!" Leng Jing shouted: "Back then, it was Junior Sister Tantai and I who accompanied the Sect Leader in!"
Wei Wan laughed mockingly: "Chen Qingmo can be the Spirit Corpse Mountain Master and also the Patriarch of the Cheng Family in Qinghe City. Do you really think he would stay in this small Spirit Vein Immortal Mansion?"
"Wei Wan, what are you saying?!"
Tantai Mingyue suddenly looked at Wei Wan, her gentle eyes turning icy cold.
Wei Wan was unfazed, staring straight at her with a mocking expression:
"Junior Martial Uncle Tantai, you’ve been his junior martial sister for many years, are you truly unaware that he is the Spirit Corpse Mountain Master?"
"Wei Wan!" Tantai Mingyue snapped, her body erupting with astonishing spiritual power pressure, causing Wei Wan’s body to bend under the pressure, Su Xin gasped:
"Nascent Soul Peak? Master, when did your cultivation improve to this level?"
She distinctly remembered that for years, Tantai Mingyue’s cultivation had stalled at the Nascent Soul Seventh-Layer, slightly inferior to Junior Martial Uncles Zheng Shengmo, Shi Shuhong, and Wei Shouyuan.
It was precisely for this reason that when Chen Qingmo designated her as the Deputy Sect Leader, the three Junior Martial Uncles were so dissatisfied.
But merely two years later, her master’s cultivation unexpectedly advanced by three minor realms.
After reaching the Nascent Soul Mid-period, advancing even one layer is extremely difficult, and most people can’t make any progress for decades.
But Master...
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Su Xin’s mind.
Could it be... Master has been concealing her cultivation all these years?
But why?
Why would Master even hide it from me?
At this moment, Tantai Mingyue was staring coldly at Wei Wan: "As a disciple of the Zhenyang Sect, slandering the Sect Leader without reason, Wei Wan, what is your intention?!"
Wei Wan’s body bent under the overwhelming spiritual pressure, almost causing her to kneel, as she struggled to support herself and looked at Tantai Mingyue with a trace of mockery at the corner of her mouth:
"Junior Martial Uncle Tantai... are you going to kill me to keep a secret?"
Tantai Mingyue was taken aback, her icy demeanor fading largely, and she withdrew the spiritual pressure.
Wei Wan slowly straightened up, her forehead covered in sweat and her face full of surprise: "You’re not going to kill me?"
Tantai Mingyue furrowed her brows: "You say the Sect Leader is the Spirit Corpse Mountain Master, do you have any evidence? If it’s just baseless slander, don’t blame me for punishing you according to the sect rules!"
Wei Wan looked at her, suddenly laughing: "Junior Martial Uncle Tantai, you only questioned the issue of him being the Spirit Corpse Mountain Master, but ignored him being the Patriarch of the Cheng Family in Qinghe City. Could it be... you knew all along that Chen Qingmo was also masquerading as the Cheng Family Patriarch?"
Su Xin and Leng Jing were astonished, simultaneously looking at Tantai Mingyue.
Tantai Mingyue was silent for a moment, suddenly saying to Leng Jing, "Senior Brother Leng, you manage the sect’s rules and penalties, how should disciples who trespass into forbidden areas be dealt with?"
Leng Jing hesitated for a moment, seeing Tantai Mingyue’s slightly cold gaze, he had no choice but to say:
"Trespassing into forbidden areas calls for a whipping punishment according to sect rules, and a three-month reflection at Thousand Blades Cliff."
He paused, then added: "However, though No Regrets Cliff is the Sect Leader’s seclusion place, it is not like the Tribulation Crossing Peak where previous Sect Leaders resided, the whipping can be exempted, reflection is enough."
Tantai Mingyue nodded: "Danxia Peak disciple Su Xin, Xiyue Peak disciple Wei Wan, violated sect rules, Elder Leng, are you not going to take action?"
"This..."
Leng Jing glanced at Su Xin, feeling a bit troubled.
Su Xin knelt down: "Disciple violated sect rules, willing to accept punishment."
Wei Wan stood still, and Su Xin quickly pulled her down to kneel.
Tantai Mingyue looked at the two indifferently, waved her hand: "Elder Leng, take them to Thousand Blades Cliff."
"Hee hee hee, Tantai Mingyue is indeed calculating, using the guise of punishment to lock up Su Xin and Wei Wan so the news of Chen Qingmo’s disappearance can’t spread."
Inside the Concealment Array, Jian Yue giggled.
Qin Gengyun asked: "What about Leng Jing then, isn’t Tantai Mingyue afraid he’ll leak the secret?"
Jian Yue laughed: "Master, you’re really slow, can’t you see that Leng Jing listens only to Tantai Mingyue?"
Qin Gengyun was taken aback, then laughed: "Unexpectedly, the Zhenyang Sect is not lacking in those who are passionately devoted... But how did Chen Qingmo come out from the seclusion place without anyone knowing?"
Qiu Zhihe replied: "A Divinity Transformation body can control objects over a thousand miles, transforming into dust and becoming invisible, without trace or shadow."
Qin Gengyun was shocked: "Divinity Transformation Realm?"
This time even Jian Yue showed a look of surprise: "Impossible, back when I and Chen Qingmo ambushed Nalan Yan and... Xia Qinglian, he was severely injured by Xia Qinglian, and his cultivation was just at Nascent Soul Peak, how could he possibly reach the Divinity Transformation?"
Qiu Zhihe lowered her eyes in contemplation for a moment, then suddenly gave a cold smile:
"Maybe he was already in the Divinity Transformation Realm, but hid it from everyone, and even the battle on Celestial Ridge Mountain was merely a part of his game."