Fengge Peak.

In a quiet room, Xuebing Xuan, who was reading the scriptures, saw Qi Yalan, with a frown on her face, appear, followed by Qing Muling, who looked helpless. She already understood most of it.

“Sister, what do you want to do?”

Xuebing Xuan elegantly put down the jade book in her hand and calmly asked. In silence, her aura gradually increased.

“I want Junior Brother to move in with me, that’s it.”

Qi Yalan was straightforward and directly stated her intention.

Sword cultivators were always straightforward. They didn’t have so many twists and turns or subtle implications.

Xuebing Xuan smiled, “Junior Brother is also a core disciple of the sect. He has his own separate cultivation cave. It seems that he doesn’t need you to interfere with where he wants to live, right?”

Qi Yalan stared at her, “He can live anywhere, as long as it’s not with you.”

Xuebing Xuan sighed softly, “Are you teaching me how to do things?”

As she spoke, the pressure in the space suddenly increased. Accompanied by a faint phoenix cry, a tall and scorching phantom of a pill furnace, about ten feet tall, appeared behind her, and the temperature around her rose sharply, as if a scorching sun had appeared in the sky.

Qing Muling felt a bone-chilling coldness. Even though Senior Sister didn’t intentionally target him, the terrifying pressure emitted by the unknown treasure made him feel suffocated. In front of the other party, he felt as fragile as an ant on an ancient volcano.

Qi Yalan showed no fear. A pitch-black jade sword, about three feet long, which looked ordinary, appeared in her hand. With a clear and high-pitched sword chant, a sharp and unmatched sword intent filled the surroundings, instantly overshadowing Senior Sister’s aura.

“‘Silent Solitude’? Are you crazy!”

Xuebing Xuan’s eyelids twitched. She didn’t expect Qi Yalan to bring out this famous and powerful weapon of the sect. The uncontrollable chill constantly surged from the bottom of her heart, and her entire body’s aura stiffened for a moment.

This ancient weapon called “Silent Solitude” had immense power. It had always been in the hands of the Sect Master. With Third Junior Sister’s current cultivation, she couldn’t fully control it. Once it erupted, not to mention this quiet room, even the entire Fengge Peak would turn to dust.

She didn’t know what the Sect Master was thinking. He actually quietly gave her this thing!

Qi Yalan struggled to control the destructive sword aura that was about to go out of control and said word by word, “Let Junior Brother move!”

Xuebing Xuan’s expression turned cold, “It’s been a few years since we last sparred. Junior Sister, your swordsmanship has become more refined. Do you think you’re capable now? Very well, today, let Senior Sister teach you a lesson!”

A mysterious seed deep in her sea of consciousness trembled slightly, and a subtle ripple spread out, easily dispelling the suffocating pressure.

With the greatly reduced pressure, Qing Muling finally had the opportunity to speak, “Senior Sisters, are you really going to fight? Is it necessary to go this far?”

“No interrupting!”

The two women reprimanded in unison.

“…”

Qing Muling felt very helpless.

There were still many outsiders in the sect. If these two senior core disciples were to fight over such a trivial matter, it would only make others laugh at them.

If things escalated, and the Sect Master, Mu Yinghua, got angry, both Senior Sisters and he would probably be punished.

He had overlooked one thing after all: no matter how high their cultivation or prestigious their status, women were still women. Some things couldn’t be expected to be reasoned with.

Qing Muling helplessly pondered. The nature of women, regardless of past or present, different time and space, seemed to have no fundamental difference.

Just as the situation was about to get out of control, rolling white mist appeared out of thin air, lightly filling the entire space, separating the two confronting women.

A slightly thin figure appeared in the center, then solidified. It was an ordinary-looking old man in a blue robe, with white hair and beard, deep and profound eyes, and a strange and indescribable Dao rhyme lingering around him.

Without any visible action, he easily suppressed the two powerful weapons, making the two women powerless to resist.

“Elder? Why did you come in person?”

Xuebing Xuan exclaimed in surprise, and Qi Yalan’s fighting spirit disappeared. She silently put away the ancient sword and saluted. Only Qing Muling looked bewildered, not knowing the identity and background of the other party.

“…You two, wait outside!”

The old man looked at them and said casually, “The Sect Master has already informed me about Qing Muling’s matter. This layout is related to the future rise and fall of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. It must be handled with extreme caution. That’s why I had to come and take a look in person.”

“We will follow your instructions, Elder.”

After the two women saluted again, they left. Before leaving, Xuebing Xuan gave Qing Muling a reassuring look, indicating that he didn’t need to be nervous.

After the doors of the quiet room were closed again, the mysterious elder finally looked at the young man in front of him and smiled generously.

“Don’t be nervous, little friend. Sit down and talk.”

“Yes.”

Qing Muling respectfully saluted, and when the other party sat down on the cushion, he followed suit and sat opposite him.

Half an hour later.

Qing Muling finally understood the identity of the elder in the blue robe. He was the former Dao companion of a previous Sect Master of the sect, back when Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace had not yet declined and was still a member of the super sect. This venerable Elder Hengyi, who could live from that distant era to the present, was truly an antique.

Elder Hengyi was a highly renowned wandering cultivator when he first emerged. By chance, he obtained the inheritance of an ancient great cultivator, and his cultivation surpassed everyone in the world. Especially in the field of Heavenly Secret Art, he had almost monstrous attainments, rumored to be no less than the several reclusive old immortals in Calamity Fate Palace.

Through an accidental encounter, Elder Hengyi formed a bond with a core disciple of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace at that time and helped her ascend to the position of Supreme Sect Master. Later, they naturally became Dao companions.Although the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace was led by female cultivators, it did not prohibit the Sect Master or high-ranking elders from having Dao companions. However, unlike those disciples who married out, the situation of Elder Hengyi was akin to marrying into the sect.

By convention, even after marrying the Sect Master, he could not reside permanently within the sect. Instead, he had his own Daoist temple and cave dwelling outside, and could only visit his Dao companion periodically.

Now, the retired Sect Master, like Elder Hengyi, held the status of a Supreme Elder in the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. They usually secluded themselves for cultivation, only appearing to take charge when the survival of the sect was at stake.

“…Over ten thousand years ago, the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace unfortunately encountered a great calamity,”

Elder Hengyi quietly narrated, “Despite our best efforts to resolve it, we ultimately fell short. Many close friends unfortunately perished. Those lucky enough left behind a wisp of their soul to reincarnate, while the less fortunate turned to ashes. Several of our sect’s treasures were also lost, leading to the decline of our sect’s vitality.”

“With the decline of the sect’s vitality and a significant reduction in strength, I had given up hope. It was your appearance that allowed me to see a glimmer of hope again. That girl, Mu Yinghua… indeed has some luck.”

Qing Muling thought for a moment before tentatively asking, “So, can you predict my future achievements in the Dao?”

“I cannot,”

Elder Hengyi replied calmly, “What I know now may not necessarily be more than what Mu Yinghua knows. Although I would like to expend my vitality to calculate matters related to you, the moment I saw you, I understood. If I dare to rely on my cultivation to predict the secrets of heaven, I would have to pay with my life today.”

The will of heaven has always been difficult to fathom!

What is the will of heaven? It is indescribable, ineffable, uncontrollable, and contains infinite mysteries. Perhaps only the Supreme Harmony Saint in the legends who has merged with the Dao could possibly understand all the changes in the heavenly Dao.

In Elder Hengyi’s eyes, Qing Muling’s anomaly was something that could not be calculated. Anyone who flaunts their knowledge of the secrets of heaven would inevitably meet a tragic end.

Seeing Qing Muling deep in thought, Elder Hengyi explained with a slight smile, “There are already some spies within and outside the sect watching you. Mu Yinghua is worried about your safety, so she specially asked several Supreme Elders to come out of seclusion to protect you.”

“My task is to use my divine power to confuse and obscure the secrets of heaven, shield your destiny, and add another layer of protection for your safety, making it easier for you to travel and explore in the future.”

Qing Muling breathed a sigh of relief, “In that case, thank you, Elder.”

Elder Hengyi nodded, took out nine white round jade coins with square holes, a black tortoise shell, an ancient bronze altar with colorful patterns, several unknown animal bones, and twelve banners. He quickly set up a small Formation Array.

After a while, a faint cloud light enveloped the two of them, and the mysterious and infinite Dao Rhyme of the universe rushed towards them.

Qing Muling felt that his Divine Soul was closer to the aloof and indifferent Supreme Heavenly Dao than ever before, almost within reach. It was an indescribable wonderful feeling.

With Elder Hengyi’s actions, the extraordinary aura around Qing Muling gradually disappeared, making him appear no different from an ordinary core disciple.