The Chief Elder called for Sect Leader Liao.
Sect Leader Liao stared at the Shrine for a long time before expressing his confusion,
"It seems... indeed, a door is missing..."
Both furrowed their brows, quite perplexed.
This Shrine, handed down from the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect, was a Divine Thought Taoist Field containing the transmission of the Five Elements Spirit Formation.
Born from the hands of the Sect's forefathers, the Shrine was profound and unfathomable.
Who on earth had the ability to forcibly break open the doors of the Shrine?
And how did they do it?
Were the ones who broke the door Mr. Zhuang's three disciples, or that little ghost inside?
Sect Leader Liao knew about the matter of the little ghost.
It was a secret of the Five Elements Sect.
To prevent the loss of the Formation's knowledge, hundreds of years ago, an old Sect Leader of the Five Elements Sect had specifically captured a little ghost and placed it within the Shrine to nurture, letting it create illusions to bewilder outsiders and prevent the core heritage of the Five Elements Sect from leaking out...
But now, with the Shrine's doors broken and the little ghost missing...
Sect Leader Liao exclaimed with concern, "The transmission of the Five Elements Spirit Formation..."
The Chief Elder shook his head and sighed,
He then raised his eyes to take another look at the Shrine and said with a frown,
"Over these hundreds of years, I've always felt that within this Shrine, there is a special significance... as if it's also hiding some particularly special heritage..."
"But now, with a door of the Shrine missing, this significance has suddenly disappeared..."
"It's as if the contents have been emptied by someone unknown..."
The Shrine now stood as an empty shell, like a deserted pavilion, empty and cold.
Sect Leader Liao asked in astonishment, "Chief Elder, what other heritage does our Five Elements Sect have?"
The Chief Elder remained silent.
Because he did not know either.
Sect Leader Liao shook his head and sneered inwardly.
To embellish one's own face with gold, besides the Five Elements Spirit Formation, what other heritage could the Five Elements Sect have?
Even the Five Elements Spirit Formation was in name only, with nobody able to learn it, and utterly unattainable...
However, these were thoughts that he naturally wouldn't express aloud.
A glint of light flashed in Sect Leader Liao's eyes as he said in a low voice,
"Chief Elder, could it be that Mr. Zhuang and his disciples have stolen our Five Elements Sect's heritage?"
The Chief Elder's heart trembled, his brow even more furrowed.
This was precisely his worry...
With Mr. Zhuang being inscrutable, and his disciples possessing exceptional talent, if the master and apprentices had orchestrated a scheme and stolen the heritage of his Five Elements Sect, it would be endless trouble.
The key question was, what exactly was this heritage?
The Five Elements Spirit Formation?
If it was the Five Elements Spirit Formation, they had no grounds to object, as it was something they were supposed to learn, and they had rightfully mastered it.
But what if it wasn't just the Five Elements Spirit Formation?
Not just the Five Elements Spirit Formation...
What else could it be?
What else had the old ancestors of the Five Elements Sect left behind for them?
The Chief Elder was completely bewildered.
Sect Leader Liao had other ideas and so he asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"What to do?" The Chief Elder's gaze darkened, "What do you mean by that..."
"If there is indeed other heritage within the Shrine, it must be extraordinary, and we must investigate!"
Sect Leader Liao raised an eyebrow, "You know what I mean."
The Chief Elder hesitated.
Sect Leader Liao continued, "With the Shrine damaged and the heritage lost, Mr. Zhuang's disciples are the prime suspects, so..."
Sect Leader Liao moved closer to the Chief Elder and spoke in a lowered voice,
"We must find a way to keep them here!"
The Chief Elder mused thoughtfully.
Sect Leader Liao nodded and suggested,
"We start with an investigation within the Five Elements Sect, then look into that missing little ghost, and then Mr. Zhuang and his disciples...
"Before the investigation is clear, we must make sure to detain them!"
"If the heritage is in their hands, we must find a way to take it back; if not, we apologize, make amends, and let it pass..."
Upon hearing this, the Chief Elder sneered, "As if it would be that easy to let it pass..."
Who do you think you're keeping?
Mr. Zhuang is not so easy to deal with.
Moreover, that wooden-like elder beside him, his Cultivation is even more unfathomable.
Sect Leader Liao knew what the Chief Elder was worried about and said persuasively,
"We proceed with courtesy before force, first inviting them to stay with our Five Elements Sect for a little while longer, to linger a few more days."
"Since there's an ancestral connection, visiting as guests and exchanging knowledge about Formations is a reasonable and appropriate request..."
"They might just decide to stay."
"This is the 'courtesy' part. If they do not agree, then we resort to 'force'..."
"Mr. Zhuang and the elder may possess extraordinary Cultivation, but his disciples are only at the Qi Refinement level. Throughout these days, they have crossed hands with our Five Elements Sect disciples.
Though stronger than Qi Refinement, perhaps even comparable to Foundation Establishment, they are still only at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, and cannot turn the tables on our Five Elements Sect..." Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire
"Mr. Zhuang seems indifferent, but he obviously cares quite a bit about those disciples, especially that one named Mo, who he dotes on greatly."
"We just need to control that little disciple, no, even any single disciple, and use that to threaten Mr. Zhuang, and he will have no choice but to submit."
"If that still doesn't work..."
Sect Leader Liao pointed skywards and spoke with a solemn voice, "We still have... the Five Elements Mountain Guarding Formation!"
The Chief Elder was shocked, "To activate the Large Formation?!"
Sect Leader Liao nodded, "Once the Large Formation is activated, we won't worry about keeping them!"
"Even if their Cultivation is strong, they wouldn't dare to Transcend the restrictions of the Heavenly Dao, and they would inevitably be trapped within the Large Formation!"
The Chief Elder frowned in thought. He felt that Sect Leader Liao might have a point, but he still lacked confidence in his heart.