Chapter 143 — Reluctance
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 5 of 7
A buzz of voices immediately rose from the ranks of the Canglan Sect, and the matter was discussed far and wide. Besides the elders and peak lords seated there, there were many disciples of the younger generation as well, and countless gazes turned at once toward that frost-cold woman.
Lu Xueling's lips moved slightly, but her face remained cold and impassive, and in the end she said nothing at all.
Dao Yan Zhenren smiled and, taking Yun Yi Feng by the hand, said, "Valley Master Yun, to have such a fine disciple is to have a worthy successor. Come, please take the seat of honor."
Yun Yi Feng bowed slightly and said, "After you, Zhenren."
The two exchanged a smile and ascended side by side. Dao Yan Zhenren and Yun Yi Feng sat together in the seats of honor, with the members of their respective sects to either side.
After a round of pleasantries and polite courtesies, Dao Yan Zhenren said with a smile, "The Fenxia Valley is a great pillar of the orthodox path, revered by all under heaven. That Valley Master Yun should deign to grace us with his presence this time truly brings glory to the Canglan Sect."
Yun Yi Feng shook his head again and again. "Zhenren praises me far too much, far too much," he said, and then his expression suddenly turned grave as he said solemnly, "In truth, my visit to your mountain this time is because there are two great matters on which I must beg the aid of the Canglan Sect."
Dao Yan Zhenren said quickly, "Valley Master Yun is too courteous. Please, speak your mind."
Yun Yi Feng cleared his throat and said, "I will conceal nothing from you all. The first of these matters concerns a great calamity such as the world has rarely seen in these several hundred years!"
The faces of the Canglan Sect all changed at once. Tian Buhui, seated below Dao Yan Zhenren, knit his brows and said, "What does Valley Master Yun mean by this?"
Yun Yi Feng sighed and said, "You are all unaware, but just one month ago, within the hundred thousand wild mountains of the southern frontier, which my valley has guarded for generations, a peerless demon has been reborn."
Dao Yan Zhenren was taken aback. "A peerless demon?"
Yun Yi Feng nodded. "Indeed, a peerless demon. You are far away in the Central Plains and know nothing of the details, but my Fenxia Valley line has guarded the southern frontier for generations, and so I know them well. This demon styles himself the 'Beast Sovereign.' He is an ancient fiend; whence he came, none can say—only that in ages past he brought ruin upon the world and slaughtered countless living souls..."
Zeng Shuchang, peak lord of Fenghui Peak, seated beside Tian Buhui, frowned and said, "Surely with Valley Master Yun's heaven-spanning cultivation, and with the full strength of the Fenxia Valley behind him, this demon cannot be beyond your power to deal with?"
Yun Yi Feng's face darkened. "You all make light of me. It is not that my valley fears trouble or dares not take up the burden—it is that I know full well this matter is no small thing, and by no means can the Fenxia Valley alone withstand it. That is why I have come so presumptuously to beg you, Zhenren, for the sake of the living souls of the world, to raise the call on high, that all under heaven may strike together, and only thus may there be hope of victory. Otherwise the cause is lost, and the living things of this world will suffer countless deaths and injuries."
The Canglan Sect members exchanged glances. Indeed, it made sense—things had been perfectly well, and then the Fenxia Valley had suddenly leapt out to speak of a peerless demon, insisting that only if every cultivator under heaven joined forces could there be any hope. How was one to accept such a thing? Yet Dao Yan Zhenren was, after all, a man who had attained the Dao; he pondered long in silence, then said with resolve: