Chapter 242: The Ten Halls

In the Cangyun Sect, inside the Cangyun Hall.

The Sect Master of Cangyun Sect was discussing matters with a few senior brothers when suddenly, the loud voice of Zhong Shan echoed throughout the entire Cangyun Sect.

"Is the Cangyun Sect full of cowards? Is this how you treat guests? Laughable to the world～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

This loud shout interrupted the conversations inside the Cangyun Hall. The Sect Master frowned and said, "Who dares to behave so rudely in my Cangyun Sect?"

Leading the way, the Sect Master exited the hall, followed closely by eight senior brothers.

With a single step, they headed towards the direction of the voice.

Flying in the air, the nine of them quickly saw the square below, where thunder rumbled and over a hundred lightning pillars descended like a hundred swords raining down. The square was instantly filled with countless fragments of shattered stone, flying in all directions.

The nine of them approached swiftly and witnessed the power of Zhong Shan's single strike. Although it wasn't something that would catch the eyes of the strongest, Zhong Shan's strength was immediately evident—a Fifth Stage Golden Core cultivator? What a domineering strike.

Princess Qianyou stood behind Zhong Shan, not intervening. On one hand, Zhong Shan did not allow her to, but Zhong Shan alone was enough. His goal was simply to intimidate these people and delay until the Sect Master of Cangyun Sect arrived. Once the Sect Master was here, Princess Qianyou would step in, preventing further conflict.

The Sect Master, leading a group, swiftly descended to the square. One of the Sect Master's followers waved a hand, and the smoke on the square dispersed instantly, while another follower struck out with a palm.

"Pop"

Qiushui was released from the orb.

"Second Uncle, these are Princess Qianyou and Zhong Shan. They caused trouble last time, and now they're back at the Cangyun Sect with a ghost in tow!" Qiushui, upon being freed, immediately started to complain, playing the victim.

"Slap～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

Qiushui was sent flying, slapped away by the Sect Master.

The followers behind the Sect Master widened their eyes in extreme disbelief. What happened? Why would the Sect Master, regardless of the circumstances, strike Qiushui at this moment? The Cangyun Sect members should stand united, especially now. Whether Qiushui was at fault or not, the Sect Master shouldn't have slapped him here; such matters should be handled privately.

"Master," one of them called out in confusion, but the Sect Master ignored him completely.

"Master," "Master"... Qiushui's disciples rushed forward to support him.

Qiushui, holding his face, stared at the Sect Master in utter disbelief. A slap? His Second Uncle slapped him? His Second Uncle had never struck him before. Why? Why?

Qiushui's eyes were filled with disbelief, and everyone looked at the Sect Master in extreme confusion. Why would he do this? Was it for the Da Luo Celestial Empire's princess? It didn't seem right. The Sect Master was not that kind of person. Why?

No one understood, but the Sect Master himself appeared somewhat dazed.

The Sect Master wasn't looking at Zhong Shan or Princess Qianyou, but rather at the "ghost" Qiushui had mentioned—the hovering spirit, Ruyan.

Ruyan, her expression calm, looked at the Sect Master. The Sect Master took two steps forward, his eyes filled with confusion and a questioning gaze.

Everyone watched, puzzled, not understanding what was going on with the Sect Master.

"Xiao Yuanfeng," Ruyan spoke softly.

The "ghost" mentioned by Qiushui suddenly spoke. Her first words, however, called out an utterly unfamiliar name—a name no one had ever heard before. Xiao Yuanfeng? Who was Xiao Yuanfeng?

As everyone was still puzzled.

Chapter 242: The Ten Halls (Continued)

"Thud～～～～～～～～～～～～"

The Sect Master of Cangyun Sect suddenly knelt down.

His unexpected kneeling sent a wave of confusion among the people behind him. Should we kneel too? What's happening? Why is the Sect Master kneeling to a ghost?

Who is she? Even Qiushui, at this moment, stared wide-eyed at his uncle. Why? Why is Uncle kneeling to her? Who is she?

After kneeling, tears welled up in the Sect Master's eyes as he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know, none of us knew!"

"Do you still have contact with Xiao Bingyi?" Ruyan ignored the Sect Master's apology and instead asked him a question.

Everyone watched the interaction between the person and the ghost with puzzled expressions. Xiao Bingyi? Who is Xiao Bingyi?

"Yes, yes, we do!" the Sect Master replied.

"I'll wait in the front hall. You inform him to come," Ruyan said indifferently.

"Yes, yes, I'll do that immediately!" the Sect Master responded quickly.

Ruyan then floated towards the distant hall, followed closely by Zhong Shan and Princess Qianyou. At this moment, no one dared to stop them; no one even attempted to block their path.

The Sect Master remained kneeling on the ground, watching as Ruyan, Zhong Shan, and Princess Qianyou headed towards the distant hall.

"Senior Brother, who is she?" a junior brother behind the Sect Master asked in disbelief.

"Notify my foster father. You, and you, go now, quickly, quickly!" The Sect Master stood up and urgently ordered two of his men.

"Notify? Notify about what? What should we say?" the one supporting the Sect Master asked.

"Just tell him that Ruyan is here. My foster father will understand. Hurry, not a moment to lose." The Sect Master, still kneeling, refused to rise.

At that moment, memories from a thousand years ago flooded back to the Sect Master. His foster mother had died, but her wandering soul had been adrift in the world for a thousand years. How did she, a lonely ghost, survive all those years? This overwhelming guilt weighed heavily on the Sect Master, causing him to remain kneeling. Even as the esteemed Sect Master of Cangyun Sect, it didn't matter. That was his mother, and this kneeling was done without regard for what others might think.

Everyone knew that the situation had become extremely grave. Who was this female ghost? What was her true identity?

The person designated by the Sect Master quickly flew out of Cangyun Sect, heading out urgently, while Qiushui, holding the mark left by the Sect Master's palm on his face, looked on in shock and disbelief. What was the origin of this ghost? No wonder his uncle had slapped him. The ghost must be extremely important to his uncle, so much so that he was slapped just for calling her a "ghost," and his uncle was now kneeling in guilt.

Everyone stood silently, the situation becoming increasingly bizarre—

The Great Deer King's Tent

The Great Deer King was reprimanding a general. This general was the one who had led the troops to attack Wangyou City earlier, and his body now bore signs of battle, indicating he had encountered strong resistance.

"I ask you now, why did you start a fight with the Daguang army without reason? What about my previous instructions?" the Great Deer King asked coldly.

"Your Highness, someone saw Zhong Shan and Princess Qianyou at the time. I was following orders to capture them. Who could have known the Daguang army would attack without asking questions?" the general responded, looking aggrieved.

"Ask? What do they need to ask? This is Daguang territory; seeing you, of course, they attacked. Didn't I tell you to avoid the Daguang army if you saw them?" the Great Deer King said angrily.

The general opened his mouth, looking completely innocent.

"Your Highness, someone outside requests an audience. He claims to know the whereabouts of Zhong Shan and Princess Qianyou," reported a soldier from outside the tent.

"Let him in," the Great Deer King said, frowning.

Subsequently, a man entered from outside the tent. If Zhong Shan were here, he would immediately recognize him as one of Qiushui's disciples. After seeing Zhong Shan head to Cangyun Sect, this disciple, driven by greed, had recklessly ventured into the Great Deer King's camp.

nside the vast hall of the Cangyun Sect, Zhong Shan, Princess Qianyou, and Ruyan stood quietly. Outside, at a respectful distance, the Sect Master of Cangyun Sect knelt on the ground, burdened by a millennium of guilt that he carried on behalf of his foster father. With the Sect Master in such a state, no one dared to venture into the hall uninvited.

Inside the hall, Ruyan bowed deeply to Zhong Shan, her voice filled with gratitude. "My lord, Ruyan thanks you deeply for allowing me to put an end to my thousand-year wait."

"I gave you my word, and I always keep my promises. There's no need for such formality," Zhong Shan replied.

Zhong Shan's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. He needed time to process everything and await the final outcome.

"This will be Ruyan's last thank you, my lord. Princess Qianyou once asked me how I could remain in the world for a thousand years without fading away. On the night of my return to the world, I brought something up from the underworld, something that has kept me intact by infusing me with yin energy for a thousand years. It also contains the methods of ghost cultivation, but I only learned the arts of 'Escape' and 'Illusion.' I had no heart to delve further," Ruyan explained softly.

Escape? Illusion? Zhong Shan's pupils contracted slightly. Escape – could it be the ability to pass through mountains? Illusion – the power to create illusions? These weren't innate ghost abilities but techniques she had cultivated?

Ruyan gently took out a black square handkerchief. It was pitch-black like ink, exuding a faint black aura, and seemed like an endless abyss, impossible to see the end of. On the handkerchief, two faintly glowing characters, tinged with blue and red, were embossed.

Ten Halls!

Was this black handkerchief called 'Ten Halls'? No, it seemed the ghost cultivation technique within it was called 'Ten Halls.'

Ten Halls? This must have come from the underworld.

"My lord, I know you are a man of clear distinctions between right and wrong, and so am I. This 'Ten Halls' is the only thing I can give you in return for your kindness. Please accept it," Ruyan said.

"What about you, Miss Ruyan? What will you do now?" Zhong Shan asked, his brow furrowed.

"I don't need it anymore," Ruyan replied, shaking her head.

"Thank you!" Zhong Shan said, not hesitating to accept the gift.

The 'Ten Halls' from the underworld – there might be no other like it in the world. Zhong Shan instinctively felt that this item would be extremely useful to him in the future, so when Ruyan said she no longer needed it, Zhong Shan didn't feign humility but instead accepted it with genuine appreciation.

The 'Ten Halls' felt incredibly light in his hands, so light that even with his Golden Core stage cultivation, Zhong Shan could barely feel its weight. With a gentle wave of his hand, Zhong Shan put away the 'Ten Halls.'

Having given the 'Ten Halls' to Zhong Shan, Ruyan seemed relieved of her burden. She nodded slightly to Zhong Shan. Meanwhile, Princess Qianyou, after a brief glance, turned her attention to the outside of the hall, leaving Ruyan alone to bestow the treasure upon Zhong Shan.