Elder Xu and the others were waiting in the reception hall.
Upon seeing that Pei Qingfeng was safe and sound, Elder Xu and the others were relieved. They then quietly observed Langya Wenqiu, who was chatting animatedly with Fang Chen. They hadn’t expected their ancestor to have connections with such a core figure of the Langya Clan.
"Senior Brother Fang, Junior Sister Yu is very smart. She must have her own plans. Her quiet departure was to avoid implicating you," Langya Wenqiu said with a sigh upon learning that Fairy Yu was not with Fang Chen and quickly offered some comforting words.
"The Spirit Blood Sect were the ones behind Little Yu’s matter. How did the Void Immortal Sword Sect handle it? Did you find any leads?" Fang Chen inquired casually.
"Speaking of this, I must say that the Spirit Blood Sect's methods are quite formidable. Our higher-ups conducted several investigations but only found a few minor culprits who had only recently joined the sect," Langya Wenqiu said with a cold smile. "These culprits couldn’t have orchestrated such events. They were clueless about how Gai Wu managed to enter Junior Sister Yu’s cave dwelling to begin with."
She paused and sighed again. "However, Senior Sister Jing has been implicated due to this incident. She is now being punished by the Peak Master and is confined to the back mountain for reflection."
Fang Chen’s gaze sharpened. "How was she implicated?"
The Immortal Seedling of the Immortal Giant Sect had mentioned that Jing Yuehan was punished and might be confined for decades due to the matter involving Fairy Yu.
"Senior Sister Jing had discovered Gai Wu’s actions and wanted to deal with him with a single sword strike. However, several elders of the Extreme Sword Peak felt this was inappropriate. Senior Sister Jing’s actions were seen as an offense against these elders, so she was punished by the Peak Master to reflect in isolation on the back mountain," Langya Wenqiu explained.
"Senior Brother Fang, would you come back to the Void Immortal Sword Sect with me once this matter is over?" Langya Wenqiu asked with a hopeful expression.
Fang Chen agreed with a nod. "If no troubles arise, I will.”
Hong Qing was likely being suppressed by the Great Expansion Dao Sect right now, and the Void Immortal Sword Sect clearly didn’t fear them. If possible, Fang Chen wanted to use the influence of the Void Immortal Sword Sect to probe Hong Qing’s current situation. After all, he might be considered his ‘senior brother.’ He also intended to check on Jing Yuehan and see if he could plead on her behalf.
Fang Chen suddenly transmitted a message. "Junior Sister Langya, have you ever considered that the Spirit Blood Sect might be the ones pushing for this conflict between the Immortal Qin Clan and the Langya Clan.”
Langya Wenqiu was momentarily stunned, a flicker of contemplation crossing her eyes as her expression grew troubled.
She promptly replied, "Before I returned, the situation between both sides was balanced. However, our ancestor clearly calculated that with the Langya Clan’s accumulation over the years, we had the capability to overwhelm the Immortal Qin Clan.
“There were just some who temporarily switched sides. Although it was strange, the ancestors didn’t think much of it. They assumed the Immortal Qin Clan had offered better conditions. After that, the ancestors called me back and used the name of the Void Immortal Sword Sect to turn the tide, advancing into the Immortal Qin Clan’s territory.”
Langya Wenqiu paused. “Senior Brother Fang, the Spirit Blood Sect could very well be behind all of this. However, we are too deep inside now. Even if the ancestors realize they’re being manipulated by the Spirit Blood Sect, we still have to see this battle through to the end. We can’t just stop now.”
Fang Chen agreed with a nod. “Indeed.”
If the Langya Clan could conclude this war swiftly, it would be a setback for the Spirit Blood Sect.
In the following days, at Langya Wenqiu’s invitation, everyone stayed directly within the military camp. Fang Chen busied himself, bringing the disciples of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect one by one. Even though there were likely some spies from other factions among them, he wasn’t overly concerned.
Of the 400 or so Grand Thousand Dao Sect members who had ventured out, only a little over 200 returned. 103 out of the remaining 200 or so were confirmed dead, and the rest were missing—neither seen alive nor dead. The battlefield was chaotic, and this was not only a problem for the Grand Thousand Dao Sect; other sects faced similar issues.
Li Daoye gasped and shook his head vigorously. "I can't divine that. If I try, I'll exhaust my lifespan and die."
Suddenly, Langya Wenqiu's voice called out from outside. "Is Senior Brother Fang here?"
Everyone looked up to see a young girl peeking in at the door. They couldn't help but be amazed. Even a prominent figure from the Langya Clan looked so bubbly when addressing Fang Chen.
"Lady Langya, what’s the matter?" Fang Chen asked with a smile.
Langya Wenqiu twirled a few strands of her hair. "Actually... I was wondering if you could give me guidance on sword technique.”
A few Nascent Soul Realm cultivators were following behind her, their eyes revealing curiosity.
In the past few days, they had learned from Langya Wenqiu that Fang Chen possessed extremely high-level sword technique. Since they were not familiar with sword cultivators and thought all sword cultivators were equally strong, they were naturally very curious about Fang Chen's skills. That was even more so because their Third Lady revered him so much.
"My sword technique…." Fang Chen pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "My sword technique is not suited for sparring; it's only fit for killing."
Langya Wenqiu looked disappointed. "Oh?"
Elder Xu and the others felt a mix of emotions. They had heard about Fang Chen’s other identity as a sword cultivator in the Void Immortal Sword Sect. The revelation had almost left them in shock.
"However, I can still help you with your practice. I won’t make a move; you can just attack and I’ll see if there are any flaws in your sword technique," Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
Langya Wenqiu’s spirits lifted immediately. While she had plenty of practice partners, what she lacked was someone who could evaluate her sword technique—most Nascent Soul Realm cultivators around her, despite their higher cultivation, could not pinpoint flaws in her technique.
"That would be wonderful. I was worried that I wouldn't catch up with my progress and would be reprimanded by my master once I returned," Langya Wenqiu said with delight.
Just as they were about to head to the training grounds, a figure appeared in the sky and approached Langya Wenqiu with a serious expression.