Chapter 536: Goodbye Qingnu

Pure Nine-Lantern Treasure Lamp:

The Kaiyuan Hall Committee is the highest authority of the Immortal Sect. All Nascent Soul cultivators of the Immortal Sect are members of the committee, but since these grand cultivators generally do not involve themselves much in affairs, the committee is currently presided over by Ye Yun'e, the Deputy Head of Kaiyuan Hall.

When Chen Mobai saw this email, he knew he couldn't escape this matter. Wang Shuye of the Wuqi Daoist Academy was also one of the rotating committee members. The dispatch of this email meant that the Wuqi Daoist Academy must have been informed of this matter as well. Under these circumstances, True Master Scarlet Robe, Yu Tianguang, had probably been abandoned by the academy.

As the Golden Core True Master closest to Danxia City, Chen Mobai was obligated to assist the Heaven-Mending Group in completing their mission.

What a hassle.

Chen Mobai frowned and called Che Yucheng, but the latter merely told him to follow the Immortal Sect's decrees, to do what was necessary without acting on impulse, and then quickly hung up.

That evening, a knock sounded at Chen Mobai's door. The door opened, and someone he didn't wish to see walked in.

Lan Haitian: "Long time no see. You must have received the message from above, right?"

Chen Mobai: "Yes. Is it just you?"

As he spoke, Chen Mobai glanced around the empty space. Due to privacy regulations within the Immortal Sect, it was inconvenient for him to casually use his Insightful Spiritual Eye.

Lan Haitian: "Lin Yin is arranging the next steps. Besides, with two Golden Core True Masters meeting, her presence wouldn't be very useful."

Chen Mobai: "You haven't told me all the bad news yet."

Lan Haitian: "A key witness has confessed, identifying True Master Scarlet Robe, Yu Tianguang, as one of the high-ranking members of the Ascension Cult."

Just as expected!

Hearing this, Chen Mobai's brows furrowed even deeper. Frankly, Yu Tianguang had been very good to him. If it hadn't been for Yu Tianguang's endorsement back then, he might not have been able to enter the Wuqi Daoist Academy. Furthermore, Yu Tianguang later used the Lantern Ignition Technique to help him convert his Five Elements Cultivation into the Pure Yang Scroll. These were all acts of kindness. Now, the Immortal Sect's order forced him to confront Yu Tianguang, which made him feel truly uneasy.

Chen Mobai: "What should I do?"

Lan Haitian: "Join me in delivering the arrest warrant to Yu Tianguang."

Chen Mobai: "Is that all?"

Lan Haitian: "If Yu Tianguang dares to resist, you and I will need to work together to suppress him if necessary."

Chen Mobai: "With my mere first-level Golden Core cultivation, I'm afraid I might be a burden to you."

Lan Haitian: "You're being too modest. With the Purple Lightning Sword in your hand, there are probably few Golden Core True Masters in the entire Immortal Sect who would dare to face you directly."

Chen Mobai: "The Purple Lightning Sword is too high-grade; I can't fully control it yet..."

Although he couldn't defy the orders from the Immortal Sect's higher-ups, Chen Mobai was indeed a cultivator who had just formed his Golden Core. It was normal for him to not be a match for an experienced Golden Core True Master like Yu Tianguang.

Lan Haitian: "Then you can assist me from the side."

As he said this, Lan Haitian exuded confidence. Since the Immortal Sect had dispatched him, it was clear they had absolute faith in him.

Chen Mobai nodded, not saying anything more.

Lan Haitian: "I'll notify you when it's time to act."

After saying this, Lan Haitian turned to leave.

Chen Mobai: "Where's Qing Nü?"

Finally, Chen Mobai couldn't resist asking.

Lan Haitian: "She's meeting with the witness. If you want to see her, I can give her a day off tomorrow."

Hearing this, a flash of insight crossed Chen Mobai's mind, and he vaguely grasped something. Although Qing Nü was involved in many secret matters and had direct ties to the Ascension Cult, those she was willing to meet were few and far between. Kong Feichen and Yang Jing wouldn't appear on the Primeval Star. Recalling Qing Nü's life experiences, Chen Mobai quickly thought of a certain Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Chen Mobai: "The witness is Gu Changfeng!"

After hearing this, Lan Haitian smiled faintly, did not answer directly, and simply turned and left. At that time, Lan Haitian himself had come to Danxia City to handle Gu Changfeng's case. It was also precisely during Chen Mobai's college entrance exams, and by coincidence, he had been drawn into the matter. Gu Changfeng was the first Foundation Establishment cultivator Chen Mobai had witnessed being arrested by Immortal Sect authorities, and since it concerned Qing Nü, Chen Mobai remembered him clearly.

After Lan Haitian left, Chen Mobai picked up his phone. After much hesitation, he still worried about Qing Nü and called her. At first, it didn't connect. Two minutes later, Qing Nü called him back.

Qing Nü: "Sorry, the place I was just in was a bit special, couldn't answer the phone. I'm out now."

Chen Mobai: "Mm, Lan Haitian said you came with him. I'm in Yumu City. If you encounter anything life-threatening, be sure to tell me immediately."

Chen Mobai didn't have many friends, and for Qing Nü, he was willing to fully commit himself to helping her.

Qing Nü: "Thank you!"

As she said this, Qing Nü's voice was already a little choked up. After exchanging a few more words, they agreed to meet the next day.

After hanging up, Chen Mobai had no mind for meditation. He simply held a high-grade spirit stone and cultivated his Pure Yang Dharma Body to pass the entire night.

Before dawn, Chen Mobai left his courtyard and headed towards their agreed meeting point. This was one of the Enforcement Department's bases, and the Heaven-Mending Group had requisitioned two floors within it. Qing Nü originally wasn't allowed to go out alone, but because of Chen Mobai, Lan Haitian had given her a day off.

"Long time no see." When Qing Nü walked out and saw Chen Mobai at the entrance, she greeted him with her brightest smile.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" As Chen Mobai spoke, he looked up and saw Lan Haitian smiling and waving at him from a window on the top floor of the building.

"Let's go." Qing Nü proactively walked over and took Chen Mobai's hand. He was a little surprised but didn't refuse, letting her lead him away from the place.

In Lan Haitian's office, a short-haired woman in a white shirt and green suit sat beside him. She could see Chen Mobai below, but Chen Mobai could not see her.

"Is that him?" The short-haired woman's pupils were light grayish-brown. She looked at Chen Mobai's back with an expression of interest.

"Yes, Deputy Minister Gongsun seems quite concerned about him."

Hearing Lan Haitian's words, the short-haired woman withdrew her gaze. She toyed with a toothpick in her hand, her eyes deep and profound.

Chen Mobai led Qing Nü to a tree-lined path. He had been here before with Yan Bingxuan; the scenery was beautiful, and at the end of the path was the Geda Courtyard, home to Yumu City's most famous fourth-tier elm tree.

As they walked, Qing Nü revealed confidential information: "To ensure the success of this mission, in addition to the Heaven-Mending Group, the Immortal Sect even dispatched a top Golden Core True Master from the Enforcement Department."

"This should be confidential, right? You don't need to tell me." Chen Mobai was a bit worried about Qing Nü and proactively told her to speak less.

"Deputy Chief Lan said that you are one of the people in charge of this operation, so I can disclose these things to you."

Qing Nü's words made Chen Mobai nod. Since she put it that way, he voiced the doubt in his mind. "Which True Master came from the Enforcement Department?"

As the most powerful organ of the Immortal Sect's Righteous Law Hall, responsible for maintaining internal discipline, the Enforcement Department, while varied in quality due to its vast structure, had far more experts than the Heaven-Mending Group, and its Minister was a Nascent Soul Grandmaster of the Immortal Sect.

"My status isn't high enough to have met that expert from the Enforcement Department, but yesterday, when I was escorted to meet my teacher, I sensed a powerful sword qi similar to yours. It should be a sword cultivator."

A sword cultivator!?

The Righteous Law Hall happened to have one of the Immortal Sect's top sword masters. Chen Mobai thought back and vaguely guessed who it was. It should be Gongsun Jielü, one of the Immortal Sect's Four Great Sword Cultivators. She also held the position of Deputy Minister of the Enforcement Department. This person came from the Kunpeng Daoist Academy and was said to have cultivated part of the Six Imperial Sutra, integrating it into her sword dao. Her renown was no less than that of Nangong Xuanyu.

So she was overseeing things. No wonder Lan Haitian was so confident. Thinking this, Chen Mobai suddenly felt a sense of relief. With Gongsun Jielü present, it meant it didn't matter whether he acted or not; Yu Tianguang certainly couldn't escape. In that case, the reason he was made to participate might be that the Wuqi Daoist Academy wanted to clear its name. After all, having a Golden Core True Master from the Wuqi Daoist Academy turn out to be a cult member would be a huge blow to any academy in terms of public opinion. However, if Chen Mobai, as a representative of the Wuqi Daoist Academy, were to assist, at least there would be the pretense of "righteousness over kinship," which could help save some face through future public relations.

Chen Mobai: "Is Gu Changfeng imprisoned in Yumu City?"

Qing Nü: "Yes, he's serving his sentence chopping wood in a dark forest. It was his sudden accusation against True Master Scarlet Robe that caused the Immortal Sect to take such drastic action this time."

For nearly a century, there hadn't been an incident of a Kaiyuan Hall committee member being overthrown. If Yu Tianguang were arrested this time, the shock to the Immortal Sect would undoubtedly have far-reaching effects. At the very least, the Wuqi Daoist Academy would face severe criticism, and Wang Shuye and others within the system would have a difficult time ahead.

Chen Mobai: "Why confess now, of all times, after not confessing for so long?" If it had happened a few years earlier, Chen Mobai wouldn't have formed his Golden Core yet. Even if he had been conscripted by chance in Danxia City, it wouldn't be as awkward as it was now. Acting would be for the greater good of the academy, even if it meant betraying someone close, but it would feel wrong in his heart. But not acting was even worse; he might just end up being branded a cultist himself.

Qing Nü: "Because the side effects of his Soul Devouring Technique have manifested. At his Foundation Establishment stage, he can't control his rapidly surging spiritual sense, so he probably doesn't have much time left to live."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai's expression showed sudden realization. Gu Changfeng had been arrested by Lan Haitian precisely because of forbidden techniques. Qing Nü, his former apprentice, was spared by the Jumang Daoist Academy because she possessed a Heaven Spiritual Root and showed no signs of having cultivated forbidden techniques.

"Just cultivate normal cultivation methods, why practice forbidden techniques? Improving spiritual sense isn't that difficult..." As Chen Mobai spoke, he felt a little guilty himself. If it weren't for Meng Huang'er's Mysterious Sound Marvelous Method, his spiritual sense realm probably wouldn't even be at Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer by now. But he still had to say it for appearances, to maintain his image as a genius.

"My teacher was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. He had passed the physical peak limit, and without channels or sufficient work experience to acquire Golden Core spiritual medicine, the only way he could break through was through forbidden techniques." Qing Nü, however, understood Gu Changfeng somewhat. After all, he had looked after her for many years, teaching her alchemy knowledge, which allowed her to befriend Chen Mobai, a chosen one, during her impoverished life. Because of the existence of things like Qi-Replenishing Spirit Water, over ninety-nine percent of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Immortal Sect, unlike geniuses who didn't feel bottlenecks, lived out their lives with regret, unable to overcome their bottlenecks.

"How did he identify Yu Tianguang?" Chen Mobai asked again. This concerned the Wuqi Daoist Academy, and the testimony of a single criminal would certainly not be enough to convict Yu Tianguang.

"That I don't know. The interrogation was handled by another department of the Righteous Law Hall. However, judging by the importance the Heaven-Mending Group and the Enforcement Department are placing on this, they must have found conclusive evidence through his testimony."

Hearing this, Chen Mobai could only sigh. The order to arrest Yu Tianguang had been given. If he wanted to consider the academy's interests, it would be best for him to perform well in the upcoming operation.

Burdened with worries, Chen Mobai led Qing Nü to the end of the tree-lined path.

"This is Geda Courtyard." In front of the tall, fourth-tier elm tree, Qing Nü held a wooden plaque with her hands clasped together, her eyes closed, seemingly making a wish. Chen Mobai watched her, contemplating whether he should also buy a plaque to wish his family health and safety, when a strange spiritual fluctuation caught his attention. He looked up in the direction of the spiritual fluctuation and saw a refined-looking middle-aged man with gentle eyes standing opposite the elm tree, gazing at Qing Nü, who was making a wish, with doting affection.

Chen Mobai frowned slightly and instantly appeared beside the man.

"Eh!" Just as he got close, Chen Mobai discovered that the middle-aged man, who should have been there, had vanished. His gaze had never left the man. Just as Chen Mobai was about to use his Spiritual Eye technique, Qing Nü opened her eyes and happily hung the wooden plaque she held onto a branch of the elm tree with a red string. Chen Mobai saw four names written on the wooden plaque: Qing Nü, Kong Feichen, Yang Jing, and his own.

"How did you get over there?" Qing Nü saw Chen Mobai, who should have been behind her, standing opposite her, and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"You look beautiful when you pray. I could see you clearest from here." Chen Mobai said with a smile, causing Qing Nü's cheeks to flush. She slightly turned her face away, not daring to meet his gaze.

"Let's go, it's getting late." By this time, the sky was already growing dim. Without realizing it, they had spent the entire day wandering around. As he left with Qing Nü, Chen Mobai couldn't help but glance back at Geda Courtyard, his doubts growing deeper.