Ch153 Report to the Sect

The communication talisman doesn’t trigger within my hidden realm.

There is a faint connection to the outside world through the mental link in my mind, but nothing can escape until I open the bronze door to create a pathway.

Lan Xin and I agree on how much information should be leaked, and we get our story straight.

She hands over the illusory demon booklet from her storage ring, but I don’t ask for any of the spirit stones or foundational crystals.

I slip out back into the destroyed patch of forest to fully activate the communication talisman.

“Vice Peak Master. As I reported in our last conversation, I planned on returning to the Sect today with Lan Xin. There has been a minor issue, her flying vessel was shot down from the sky. We were ambushed by Foundation Establishment Illusory Demons and stranded.”

Almost a minute of silence passes, but the talisman clicks and a live message is sent back.

“Where are you? Are they still pursuing you? Do you see any recognizable landmarks you can relay? I will send a team from the Law Enforcement Hall to your location immediately!”

I calmly smile and send a message back.

“No, there is no need. We are not in immediate danger. I called you directly because I did not want to make a scene. As you and your brother have already pieced together some clues, I’d like to confirm my presence in this sect is not ordinary…”

Another message comes back, starting with a sigh of relief.

“That is good. That is good… You are an important member of the outer sect beast mastery peak, and you’re traveling with one of only five of our named disciples. I’d be happy to make the journey myself to keep it more private.”

I pause to think. It’s already been over an hour since the attack, and there are no signs of any other demons.

As a Vice Peak Master, he must have some foundational artifacts for emergencies. In the rare case he is ambushed, I believe he would be able to make it out alive…Though, it seems even less likely for the Ye Clan to directly provoke the Azure Cloud Sect they rely on.

I believe having this elder, Kang Yelang, come to my aid to share a small secret like this will build more trust. It will be a significant necessary step to climb the sect hierarchy again.

My only concern is that the Ye Clan is so deeply rooted into the sect that outing them would be impossible. It may not be common knowledge that they are a demonic clan. If I reveal the wrong information to someone who does know, and wishes to keep this a secret, it could end with even more enemies in higher places targeting me to tie up their own loose ends.

I slip away into my hidden realm, and pull out Lan Xin so she can give a very accurate summary of how far from Lingshi City we got, and names of a few mountains nearby.

“Understood. Stand by you two, I’ll borrow the Peak Master’s private vessel, and arrive as quickly as I can.”

—

Less than three hours later, an enormous black ship appears in the sky.

It lands just outside the blast zones of this battlefield.

A pulse of extremely dense qi, at least mid-stage foundation establishment strength, ripples outward, creating some kind of passive array in every direction for a few hundred meters.

The familiar tall man in Azure Cloud Sect Elder robes and his foundation establishment grey wolf hop off the side and scan their surroundings.

He looks young and vibrant, like he’s in his late twenties at most.

His wolf begins sniffing around at all of the craters, and remains of blood and burnt flesh. His master walks toward us where we sit leisurely on a few split boulders.

We stand and bow politely as he comes within range.

[Automatic Inspect Function Activated…]

[Kang Yelang] [Age: 99]

[1st Level Foundation Establishment]

[Metal and Earth Spiritual Roots][6th Grade]

[Acquired Beast Master Physique][Perfected Stage - Mortal Grade]

[No Innate Physique]

[Has inside information about the wedding attack from the Law Enforcement Hall and Recruitment Peak. Tasked by his father, the Peak Master Kang Luo, to gather information on the host and curry favor. In search of a blue flower ivory fragment, one of the last ingredients necessary for a tier 2 pill he’s collaborating on concocting with disciples from the Inner Sect.]

“Thank you for answering my call, Vice Peak Master,” I remark as he stops in front of us with an inquisitive gaze.

“Raise your heads.” He looks around and tries to mentally map out what’s happened, but a growing confusion keeps him from speaking until his grey wolf comes running back to his side.

“It seems there were three foundation establishment cultivators here… There are traces of soul metal fragments all over the battlefield. Certainly in line with Illusory Demon’s like you said, but the presence of any physique or soul remnants have dispersed into the air too much to be certain. Given that my wolf cannot recognize their scent, I’ve never run into any of them myself, nor have they ever visited the Beast Mastery Peak. My best guess is a private organization aligned with the Blood Sword Sect, someone that has a grudge against one of you, possibly for killing an ally in the wedding incident. Do you have any other clues?”

This man’s aura is far too calm to read.

It is as though foundational illusory demon remains are an every day occurrence to him.

His posture is honest, and there aren’t any significant fluctuations in the outer portion of his soul I can sense, but I can’t fully tell if everything he says is true.

To be safe, I decide to step forward and only pull out three illusory demon booklets along with two chunks of white soul jade.

“We did not manage to leave any of their corpses intact. Not a single word was spoken. In the moment it was kill or be killed. However, these were left behind in their storage rings, along with some foundational crystals and spirit stones I intend to keep.”

Kang Yelang takes the illusory demon booklets, but he refuses the soul jade.

“It is not good karma to take resources from kills you did not earn. Soul Jade may be used for demonic means, but it is not inherently demonic. Keep it. Any rings or wealth is rightfully yours as well, the sect will not ask for it.”

He examines the booklets curiously for a few seconds, even piercing his spiritual senses inward, but ends up shaking his head.

“I can’t discern a thing…” he murmurs, and looks back at me. “I do not know where these come from, but I still believe my previous guess is most likely close to the truth. Illusory Demons of this strength do not commonly come this far into the Hidden Mist. You’re being targeted. If I bring these to my father, he may have a way to discern who they belong to. Is that alright with you?”

I slowly nod, as keeping every bit of demonic evidence to myself in this situation would probably be more suspicious. “That is fine. If it will help me figure out who our enemy is, then share your findings. But… I hope you can keep this a private matter of the Beast Mastery Peak.”

“It will be done. You have my word.”

He stows away the booklets and thinks for a moment longer, gazing toward the three prominent craters where battles took place. One of them is still burning with yellow flames.

“Lan Xin. You managed to battle off another Foundation Establishment. It appears the rumors are true. I can feel it myself now that I’m seeing you again in person, you are stronger, but you’re still a perfected qi refiner. Did you somehow manage to increase a minor stage of your innate physique?”

Lan Xin nods. “I did. It’s taken years, but finally it budged. My serpent is still recovering, but I finally pushed my physique to the mid stage. Something shifted in me after the war. I always thought it’d be impossible for a 10th level qi refiner to actually fight foundational cultivators… ”

I smile inwardly, feeling her soul spin with excitement as she tells a half-truth to cover a lie. This is her first opportunity to hide her 12th level of qi refining strength from an authority that’s asked.

Given her known loud and simple nature, along with a sought after rare spirit beast and unique innate physique, Kang Yelang nods and doesn’t doubt her words, he turns to me again unsurprised. “What about you, how did you manage to get out of this unscathed?”

I glance to the crater still crackling with azure lightning. This is where his grey wolf even backed up from, not sniffing more than its outer edges.

I pull my tier 2 talisman from my storage and toss it up to the man.

“Take a look at it yourself. It's not another gift from the Wang or Mu Clans if that’s what you’re wondering. I have a few items that don’t come from this prefecture on me. They’re handy for low-stress situations like this, but I can’t always rely on them, can I? That’s why I called you.”

He catches the enchanted tier 2 talisman, and his pupils shrink the moment he pushes a small imprint of qi inside.

“Such a strong enchantment… What is this late stage, no, perfected stage? Not even the Master of the Outer Sect’s Talisman Peak can make something like this…” he mutters to himself.

I watch his hands tremble slightly while flipping it over a few times. Then, he hands it back to me with a much straighter posture.

“Indeed. I must apologize for not recognizing your Li Clan’s name, I’m not well studied on forces outside the Hidden Mist. It was never my intention to place you in the inferior grade spirit rice plots as a slight. Once we get back to the sect, I have plenty others I can grant you.”

Kang Yelang thinks for a few seconds, then shows an outwardly kind smile while an intense sharp aura rises from his soul.

“Another thing you may like to know, I took it upon myself to seek out every member of the Feng Clan in our ranks after I discovered they were the ones to sabotage your fields. The fact that they chose to side with the Jiang Clan in their assault was a convenient means to hunt them down. Many tried to flee deep into this County’s mortal lands, but my spirit beast trailed their scent before any could get far. The Feng Clan’s bloodline has been annihilated.”