Zhou Shangyun, in his hands, had only one Communication Crystal Stone. Moreover, this Communication Crystal Stone did not belong to him, but to the Holy Master of the Holy City.
Other Commanderies mostly also had just one Communication Crystal Stone.
"Jing Yan, don’t worry, the message has already been sent to the Holy City, and I believe there will be a response soon. If the Holy Master intervenes, even if the Gai Family is furious, they can’t completely disregard the Holy Master’s will," Zhou Shangyun reassured Jing Yan.
"Yes, I understand," Jing Yan replied.
Holy City, Holy Palace!
Chang Huan, the Grand Steward of the Holy Palace, hurried to the Holy Hall to meet with the Holy Master.
"Chang Huan, why come to see me in the middle of the night?" the middle-aged man, dressed in flowing cloud robes and wearing a golden crown, asked with a smile. He didn’t seem very old.
"Holy Master, I have just received a message from Zhou Shangyun, the Prince of Lanqu County."
"There has been some unpleasantness in Lanqu County," Chang Huan said, raising his head slightly with a solemn expression.
Chang Huan was the supervisor of the Holy Palace, mainly responsible for intelligence work.
For Princes like Zhou Shangyun who wanted to convey information to the Holy Master, the messages were generally first passed to Chang Huan, who would then relay them.
"Oh? What happened in Lanqu County?" Seeing Chang Huan’s grave expression, the Holy Master also sobered up and asked.
"It involves that Jing Yan," Chang Huan said.
Chang Huan and Jing Yan were acquaintances. At the Pill Spirit Conference, Chang Huan had invited Jing Yan to enter the Holy Palace, but Jing Yan tactfully rejected him.
"The very young man you personally invited and who refused?" the Holy Master asked, slightly startled.
After returning to the Holy City, Chang Huan discussed Jing Yan with the Holy Master. It wasn’t that he had other intentions, but rather because Jing Yan had won first place in the alchemy ceremony, showcasing an amazing talent in the Alchemy Dao. Chang Huan definitely needed to report Jing Yan’s information to the Holy Master quickly.
The Holy Master had sent Chang Huan to the Pill Spirit Conference precisely for this reason.
Pill Masters who could make it onto the Pill King List were individuals the Holy Master wanted to understand. For the first place on the list, naturally, more would be known.
"Yes, that’s him!" Chang Huan nodded.
"What did this young man do?" the Holy Master asked again.
"He killed Gu Xinghe!" Chang Huan said, his face changing as he spoke.
Had it not been for the fact that the message came directly from Zhou Shangyun, he would have found it very hard to believe it was true. When he first received the message, he was also stunned for a moment.
Chang Huan obviously knew who Gu Xinghe was.
"What did you say?" the Holy Master’s brow furrowed sharply.
Even as the Controller of the Continent, he too was severely shaken upon hearing the news.
Gu Xinghe, that was the Gai Family’s candidate for Clan Leader. In ten years, Gu Xinghe was very likely to be the new Clan Leader of the Gai Family.
Jing Yan killed Gu Xinghe?
"What exactly happened?"
"Could Jing Yan have had help killing Gu Xinghe? As far as I know, Gu Xinghe had guards arranged by the Gai Family. If I remember correctly, Gu Xinghe’s guard was called Elder Yin, right? His realm is that of a Dao King Realm Peak Martial Artist," the Holy Master, well-informed about Gu Xinghe’s situation, said.
In his view, it was clearly impossible for Jing Yan to have managed to kill Gu Xinghe alone.
There must have been someone who helped him. Or perhaps, someone used him.
"I didn’t see it personally, but he conveyed all the information he knew through the Communication Crystal Stone. There’s a ninety percent chance that Jing Yan alone killed Gu Xinghe and Elder Yin. Moreover, this Jing Yan is not only a Pill Master but also a capable Array Master. According to Zhou Shangyun, Jing Yan was able to kill Elder Yin using some formations," Chang Huan said slowly.
Even he found the words he spoke to be unbelievable. A Dao King Realm Peak Martial Artist was killed by Jing Yan, which seemed far-fetched.
The Holy Master fell silent.
"Holy Master, this Jing Yan is definitely a once-in-a-millennium genius. If we don’t intervene, Jing Yan will likely not escape the Gai Family’s pursuit. The Gai Family won’t easily let go of Jing Yan," Chang Huan added after seeing that the Holy Master had been silent for a while.
"This is a difficult matter!" the Holy Master frowned and shook his head, "I can’t directly interfere to protect this Jing Yan. However, I can help his family a bit. Reply to Zhou Shangyun for me. Tell Jing Yan to find a place to hide and never show his face again. I will try my best to ensure that the Gai Family doesn’t take action against his family."
"This...," Chang Huan said, still hoping the Holy Master would protect Jing Yan.
"Chang Huan, I understand your sentiment, but you should also know that there are some matters I am powerless to affect. If Jing Yan had killed an ordinary member of the Gai Family, I could indeed step in. But what status did Gu Xinghe have? His grandfather is Gu Wanquan. Do you think he would give up avenging his grandson just because I intervene?" the Holy Master’s eyes flashed.
Chang Huan sighed softly.
He understood that the Holy Master was speaking the truth. Gu Wanquan, that old man, was not easy to deal with. Sometimes, even the Holy Master’s wishes couldn’t change anything.
"I will respond to Zhou Shangyun immediately!" Chang Huan showed a helpless expression.
This time, the mess Jing Yan had caused was indeed too big.
"Greetings, Ancestor!" Gu Jinlan respectfully stood before Gu Wanquan.
"Have you found out?" Gu Wanquan’s face, full of wrinkles, looked calm, but the coldness in his eyes made Gu Jinlan feel a chill throughout his body.
"Yes. The death of Xinghe involves a young Martial Artist named Jing Yan. Xinghe and this Jing Yan had entered an Ancient Cave Mansion our Gai Family had discovered in Lanqu County not long ago. Jing Yan came out, but Xinghe did not," Gu Jinlan replied.
The energy of the Gai Family was indeed extremely astonishing.
In just a few days, they had almost figured out the whole situation.
"Who is this Jing Yan?" Gu Wanquan’s eyes sharpened, and a killing intent surged throughout his body.
Gu Jinlan detailed everything about Jing Yan.
"So, the Qiankun Ring is likely on him. Xinghe approached him probably to clarify this matter as well!" Gu Wanquan stood up.
"Very likely," Gu Jinlan nodded.
"Bring this thief back. I want to question him personally!" Gu Wanquan pondered for a moment before waving his hand.
"Yes," Gu Jinlan answered, "Ancestor, there’s another matter. The Holy Master sent someone with a message urging you to visit the Holy Palace. He said there’s a matter he wants to discuss, probably concerning this Jing Yan. He might ask you to spare Jing Yan."
"Spare that young bastard? My grandson just died for nothing? Hmp, I’m going to the Holy Palace now. I want to see what the Holy Master wants to say to me!" Gu Wanquan’s aura intensified, and his scornful scoff carried a disdainful tone.
Clearly, even the Holy Master could not forcefully compel him to do anything.