Chapter 188: Upper Sect! Secret Report! Great Crisis!

"Sect Master's urgent order?!"

Jiang Ye was suddenly stunned.

Just from the deacon's hurried tone and the undried sweat on his temples, he vaguely sensed that the urgency of the matter was extraordinary.

He did not ask more, nodded slightly, and his voice was steady and brief: "Good, I will go to the Tianqing Hall immediately!"

Juding Peak, Tianqing Hall.

When Jiang Ye stepped into the hall, the other four peak masters had all arrived.

The atmosphere in the brightly lit hall was so solemn it was almost frozen; even the flames on the giant beeswax candles, as thick as a child's arm, were flickering uneasily.

What surprised him was that even the master of Houtu Peak, Zhao Jing, had come.

At this moment, his head was wrapped in a thick layer of gauze, from his forehead all the way to the back of his head, leaving only a narrow gap at his eyes and the bridge of his nose.

That face, which was already somewhat dark, now lacked a trace of blood, and his brows were filled with an unconcealable lethargy and weakness, his breathing short and shallow.

Clearly, Jiang Ye had injured him quite heavily at the time; it was not something that could be recovered from in a short while.

"To think that even someone with Zhao Jing's injuries had to be summoned..."

A touch of solemnity flashed in the depths of Jiang Ye's eyes.

It seemed that the Sect Master's urgent summons this time was likely more severe than he had anticipated.

And Zhao Jing noticed Jiang Ye the moment he stepped into the hall door.

His pale face suddenly stiffened, and a look of extreme humiliation flashed in the eyes revealed through the gauze gap.

There was hatred, resentment, unwillingness, and a kind of palpitation he himself was unwilling to admit.

He quickly turned his head away, not wanting to look at Jiang Ye again.

The speed of the movement tugged at the wound on his neck, but he stubbornly held on without making a sound.

Even though he tried his best to maintain the dignity of a peak master, the few muscles at the corners of his eyes that were trembling uncontrollably betrayed his surging emotions at this moment.

To tell the truth, the moment he woke up on Houtu Peak, there was only one thought in his mind.

It would have been better to just die on the martial arts arena that day...

A peak master who had been famous for many years, he was actually beaten by an elder who had only joined the sect for a few months, with no power to fight back under the eyes of everyone.

Not only was his face completely lost, but he also lost half of Houtu Peak's elixir share.

He didn't know how to face the elders and disciples within the peak.

If it weren't for the elders in the peak bitterly persuading him, he had even thought of committing suicide.

"Elder Jiang, you've come!"

Qingmu Peak master Sun Lin was the first to break the silence, still with a smiling appearance.

But those old eyes revealed a hint of solemnity rarely seen on weekdays; clearly, he had already smelled an unusual scent.

Liu Qingyu stood by a hall pillar; today she had changed into a simple and elegant moon-white long dress. Seeing Jiang Ye enter, she nodded slightly to signal, her star-like eyes calm as water, showing no excessive emotion.

And Jin Chen Peak master Lu Xiao had a gloomy face, his jaw tight, also learning from Zhao Jing and turning his head away.

Jiang Ye nodded slightly to Sun Lin and Liu Qingyu, his gaze sweeping lightly over Zhao Jing and Lu Xiao without lingering.

Soon, a figure walked slowly from behind the hall to the center of the hall.

It was the Sect Master, Pei Yunchuan.

Today he was not wearing his usual loose robes, but had changed into a dignified dark blue formal suit, his waist tightly bound by a jade belt, making his lean figure appear even more upright.

However, when everyone's gaze fell on his face, their hearts skipped a beat simultaneously.

That old face, which had always been as calm as water, as if it wouldn't frown even if the sky fell, was now rarely hanging with a touch of lingering solemnity.

"Greetings, Sect Master!"

Everyone bowed in unison.

Pei Yunchuan raised his hand slightly to signal them to rise, his gaze slowly sweeping over the five people in the hall, then he spoke in a deep voice:

"I summoned you here urgently because I just received a secret report!"

Everyone's hearts tightened simultaneously.

What kind of secret report could make the Sect Master summon even someone like Zhao Jing, whose injuries had not yet healed...

The hall was silent, with only the faint sound of candle flames crackling.

A flash of complex emotion crossed Pei Yunchuan's eyes.

He was silent for a moment, finally just sighed long, and said in a deep voice:

"The Hanjian Sect has been attacked."

"Many martial artists within the sect were killed or injured."

"The Sect Master of the Hanjian Sect, Ji Qinghan..."

"Also died."

This news hit everyone's heart in the hall like a heavy hammer.

Zhao Jing's gauze-wrapped head lifted suddenly, tugging at the wound on his neck, but he didn't notice.

Liu Qingyu's usually calm star-like eyes widened instantly, her full chest heaving violently with the cold breath she took.

Sun Lin's hand stroking his beard froze in mid-air.

On Lu Xiao's gloomy face, cracks of astonishment appeared for the first time.

Even Jiang Ye, who was usually the most composed, had an unconcealable shock flash in the depths of his eyes.

The Hanjian Sect was the hegemon of Huangxin Prefecture.

That someone dared to attack the Hanjian Sect was outrageous enough.

What was even more outrageous was the Hanjian Sect's Sect Master...

Died?!

What kind of powerhouse must have attacked the Hanjian Sect...

Although there had always been friction between the two sects.

However, suddenly hearing this news, it was inevitable to have a feeling of 'the rabbit dies and the fox grieves'.

"Sect Master... what exactly is..."

Liu Qingyu was the first to break the silence, her voice still carrying a bit of shock that had not yet subsided.

As a martial artist who also cultivated the Water-type True Qi, she knew that the Hanjian Old Man's attainments were even above her own.

To be able to kill such a powerhouse within his own mountain gate, the strength of the perpetrator was simply unimaginable.

The gazes of the other peak masters were also locked tightly on Pei Yunchuan, waiting for him to continue.

Pei Yunchuan's face was solemn, his words slow and heavy:

"According to the secret report sent back, the one who attacked the Hanjian Sect... is very likely to be from the Qisha Sect."

"I know Ji Qinghan's strength better than anyone."

"Within the Divine Qi Realm, there might be a few who can defeat him."

"But to be able to kill him within his own mountain gate..."

His voice was even heavier:

"I suspect it is very likely a Primordial martial artist from the Qisha Sect!"

Hearing this, everyone's expressions stalled again.

Primordial martial artist.

This weight...

In this Linzhou territory, besides the Upper Sect, only three sects possessed Primordial martial artists sitting in town.

Between the Divine Qi Realm and the Primordial Realm, it was not a threshold, but a chasm.

If the Qisha Sect dispatched a Primordial martial artist this time, then this matter was definitely not a simple attack.

Pei Yunchuan continued:

"The Qisha Sect's base is entrenched in the northern great continent; for a Primordial martial artist to come to Linzhou, they must have a plot."

"As for why they targeted the Hanjian Sect..."

Hearing this, everyone immediately thought of the previous dynasty ruins.

At that time, inside the ruins, a demon from the Qisha Sect had mixed in.

It was said that Hua Qingshui reported that the Qisha Sect demon lost an arm in the ruins; he had wanted to track him at the time, but in the end, he let him run away.

"Could it be because of that previous dynasty ruin?!"

On Sun Lin's kind-faced old face, such a solemn expression appeared for the first time, and even the smile lines that usually hung on the corners of his mouth disappeared completely.

Pei Yunchuan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping heavily over everyone in the hall:

"At that time, only the Hanjian Sect and our Tianqing Sect explored the ruins."

"Now, the Hanjian Sect has already suffered."

"There is no guarantee that the next one won't be our Tianqing Sect..."

These words were like a basin of ice water poured over their heads.

Except for Jiang Ye, everyone's faces in the hall became quite ugly.

Although the Tianqing Sect's strength was slightly stronger than the Hanjian Sect's, it was limited.

There was no Primordial martial artist sitting in the sect, which meant that when facing a Primordial expert from the Qisha Sect, they would have no real trump cards.

If they were truly targeted by a powerhouse of that level, the Hanjian Sect's today might not be the Tianqing Sect's tomorrow.

Lu Xiao's face was somewhat urgent as he said: "Sect Master, we must report this matter to the Upper Sect as soon as possible!"

This Jin Chen Peak master, who was usually known for being cold and hard, revealed a hint of obvious panic in his eyes.

Pei Yunchuan said in a deep voice:

"After receiving the secret report, I have already sent a request for help to the Upper Sect!"

"The news of the Hanjian Sect being destroyed must have already reached the Upper Sect by now."

"The Qisha Sect demons are running rampant in Linzhou; the Upper Sect will definitely not sit idly by."

Hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces eased slightly.

The Linzhou Upper Sect was the true hegemon of this territory, and its foundation was far deeper than these prefecture-city sects could compare to.

As long as the Upper Sect's Primordial martial artist arrived, the Tianqing Sect would not be defeated one by one like the Hanjian Sect.

"However..."

Pei Yunchuan changed the subject, the solemnity in his tone not decreasing by half:

"Even for the Upper Sect's Primordial martial artist, it will take quite some time to rush here from the Linzhou Great City. Before they arrive, we must be extremely careful and strengthen our patrols."

"After returning to each peak, immediately increase manpower; all elders and disciples must be ready for battle. If there is any unusual movement, warn immediately, and there must be no mistakes!"

"Yes, Sect Master!"

Everyone responded in unison, then turned and exited the hall with solemn expressions.

Compared to the several worried peak masters.

Although Jiang Ye's face also wore a hint of solemnity, a strange light that was difficult for others to notice flashed in the depths of his eyes.

He didn't know if Primordial martial artists could fly.

If Primordial martial artists could not fly through the air, then possessing the Bird-form True Intent, he would be inherently invincible under this sky.

"Qisha Sect..."

Jiang Ye murmured softly in his heart.

Previously, on the outskirts of the Duanling Mountain Range, after killing that bear demon, he had absorbed ten strands of killing intent from it.

He had always wanted to verify if he could absorb the killing intent they cultivated from these Qisha Sect demons.

"I don't know if there will be a chance this time."

He pondered in his heart, his face still maintaining that calm appearance, stepping down the stone steps unhurriedly, walking towards Tianyang Peak.

On the side, Liu Qingyu glanced at Jiang Ye obscurely, sighing in her heart: "This person's courage... is really..."

Even she was full of worry, yet Jiang Ye was still able to remain steady.

At this moment, she had to admire Jiang Ye's cultivation of Qi.

At the foot of Tianqing Mountain, the night was like ink.

A group of figures dressed in black robes drifted silently into the dense forest, the corners of their robes flying in the night wind without making a sound.

The leading black-robed person looked up at the magnificent Tianqing Sect mountain gate, his voice hoarse as he said:

"According to the information I collected, Tianqing Sect Master Pei Yunchuan is a rare cultivator of three True Qis among the sects in Linzhou."

"His strength, I estimate, is even stronger than that old man from the Hanjian Sect before."

Another black-robed person took half a step forward, thin lips moving slightly, his voice cold without a trace of fluctuation:

"Then let's follow the previous plan; you and I will join forces to deal with this Pei Yunchuan first."

"Those Divine Qi Realm martial artists will be left to them."

The leading black-robed person nodded slightly, then turned around, his gaze falling on the eight silent black shadows standing behind him:

"The Tianqing Sect's inner sect has a total of six peaks; besides the Juding Peak where the Sect Master is, which we two will handle personally, the other five peaks are left to you."

"Remember, the speed must be fast."

"I estimate that the people from the Linzhou Upper Sect are already on their way."

"We don't have much time."

"If we want to find the 'Demon-Suppressing Pearl'..."

"This is our last chance."

The moment the voice fell.

Everyone stepped hard on their feet and rushed towards the mountain top. ===== CHAPTER 189 =====