"Good. Very good."
Elder Lin Mo's face turned extremely ugly:
"Your Excellency, by so brazenly insulting the dignity of my Mirage Palace today, have you considered the consequences?"
Faced with this situation, even knowing that the other party was a cultivator of the upper three realms, Lin Mo absolutely could not back down. Because the offense was not just against him personally, but against Mirage Palace's imperial envoy and against the True Dharma Elder of the Time-Stealing Tower.
This concerned the dignity of Mirage Palace.
Even if the other party was an upper-three-realms cultivator, if he couldn't give a satisfactory explanation right now, then the Grand Elder Council of Mirage Palace would naturally have someone make him give a satisfactory explanation.
This was what Lin Mo was thinking.
"Get out. Don't make me say it a third time."
Chen Yan completely ignored Lin Mo's threat.
Even if it had something to do with Su Hongzhen, so what? Even if Su Hongzhen was the greatest genius in history, if the "big brother" he acknowledged dared to so insult Mirage Palace's dignity, he would still have to pay the price!
"Elder Lin."
Just then, Zhou Jinyun's calm voice suddenly came from the side.
Lin Mo turned his head slightly, his gaze shifting toward Zhou Jinyun.
"Let's just listen to Senior Chen for now."
Zhou Jinyun continued.
Hearing this, Lin Mo's pupils instantly contracted. He stared at Zhou Jinyun in utter disbelief:
"...Dao Traveler Zhou, what did you say?"
"I said, please listen to Senior Chen."
Zhou Jinyun repeated herself.
The furious Lin Mo's eyes flashed with traces of innate true energy, making the atmosphere in the entire Water Mirror Pavilion even more oppressive.
He extended his right index finger, pointing it toward Chen Yan:
"For this man to dare so insult Mirage Palace's dignity, how can we just—"
"Even if Imperial Law Elder Shang were here, he would have to speak respectfully to Senior Chen. So let it go, Elder Lin."
Zhou Jinyun shook her head.
The words that were about to spill from Lin Mo's mouth were instantly swallowed back down.
He repeatedly chewed over what Zhou Jinyun had just said in his mind.
Even Imperial Law Elder Shang had to be respectful to this so-called "Senior Chen"?
From Zhou Jinyun's expression, she didn't seem to be joking. In this setting and under these circumstances, no reasonable person would joke either.
Thinking carefully, Su Hongzhen had been able to become a Dao Inquirer at this Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry precisely because he had received a letter of recommendation from Mirage Palace's Daomen Xingzou—that is, Zhou Jinyun's recommendation.
A letter of recommendation from Mirage Palace's Daomen Xingzou carried immense weight for the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry. This certainly wasn't a decision Zhou Jinyun could make alone; it had to have the backing of the Grand Elder Council behind it.
Considering Zhou Jinyun's connections, the person most likely to have authorized this matter was the Supreme Imperial Law Elder of the Supreme Imperial Law Court, Shang Ao.
If that was the case...
Lin Mo remained silent, glancing twice at Chen Yan, then looking toward Zhou Jinyun.
Finally, without a word, he left the hall.
Now, only Chen Yan, Su Hongzhen, and Zhou Jinyun remained in the room.
Zhou Jinyun stepped forward two paces, respectfully cupping her hands toward Chen Yan:
"Senior Chen, Elder Lin was just now overly rude. This junior apologizes to you on his behalf."
Of course she had to apologize to Chen Yan on Lin Mo's behalf. Because the scene four years ago in the Western Region, when Chen Yan had burned Grand Elder Jing to death, Zhou Jinyun still couldn't forget it.
"It's nothing."
Chen Yan shook his head:
"I came to Water Mirror Pavilion to find you."
"If there's anything this junior can help with, please feel free to command me, Senior Chen."
Zhou Jinyun said.
"After Chu Fan was brought back to Mirage Palace by Shang Ao four years ago, how is he now?"
Chen Yan asked.
"..."
Zhou Jinyun didn't answer immediately. She then shook her head:
"This junior truly doesn't know the specifics. I only know that Chu Fan was taken directly back to the Supreme Imperial Law Court by Imperial Law Elder Shang and imprisoned there, kept as evidence to impeach the puppet master. As for more inside information and details, with my current cultivation and status, I'm far from being able to access them. However..."
As she spoke, Zhou Jinyun showed a hesitant expression.
"However, what?"
Chen Yan pressed further.
"What this junior can confirm is that within Mirage Palace, violations of that taboo are still ongoing."
Zhou Jinyun stated firmly.
She didn't hesitate to reveal Mirage Palace's current internal affairs to Chen Yan, placing a certain amount of hope on him, hoping that Chen Yan could help Mirage Palace escape its current predicament.
The ongoing violation of the absolute taboo within Mirage Palace was like a time bomb, ready to be triggered at any moment. The outcome would be Mirage Palace becoming universally condemned throughout Chenping Continent and being expelled from the Five Great Sects.
This was, of course, a situation Zhou Jinyun didn't want to see. But she had no way to deal with it, because Mirage Palace was such a behemoth, its internal problems too deeply entrenched. It would be very difficult to solve the problem from the inside alone.
So she placed her hopes on Chen Yan.
"Has Imperial Law Elder Shang said anything to you?"
Chen Yan asked.
"He has."
Zhou Jinyun's eyes dimmed slightly:
"Imperial Law Elder Shang just told me to cultivate well. That if one day I could truly step into the Immortal Ascension Realm, all problems would naturally be resolved."
Zhou Jinyun could ascend to immortality.
Because she had not yet touched the deepest forbidden illusions of Weaving Dreams Tower, she didn't have to bear too much cause and effect.
She still had the chance to choose.
Whether to continue inheriting and evolving Weaving Dreams Tower's forbidden illusion arts, or to keep advancing on the path toward immortality.
"Perhaps you could also..."
Chen Yan wanted to continue saying something, but his words suddenly stopped. Sensing something with his spiritual sense, his expression grew more serious:
"Perhaps you could also rely on Little Su for now. You two catch up here. I have some matters to attend to and will be back shortly."
With that, Chen Yan's form flickered and he vanished from Water Mirror Pavilion.
Leaving only Su Hongzhen and Zhou Jinyun, staring at each other inside the hall.
"Long time no see, Immortal Master Zhou."
Su Hongzhen revealed a very relaxed and open smile toward Zhou Jinyun.
Zhou Jinyun was silent for a moment, then finally nodded:
"Mm."
...
Xuanyuan Street.
The most prosperous district of Heavenly Summit Mountain in the past. Chen Yan's impression of this place was still tied to the time he had tea with Ye Xiu.
"What's the matter? Your killing intent is so strong."
A familiar young man's voice came from in front of Chen Yan.
Chen Yan looked at Mr. You, who was sitting by the teahouse window, gazing down at the endless stream of cultivators on the street below.
"Because I've killed a lot of people."
Chen Yan said as he took out the bronze mirror from his chest and placed it on the tea table in front of Mr. You.
"You mean, you killed a lot of people in the future?"
Mr. You didn't seem surprised by Chen Yan's words at all, simply continuing to ask.
"No, it was killing people in the past."
Chen Yan shook his head.
"The past?"
Mr. You raised an eyebrow slightly:
"The era after Heavenly Summit Mountain's fall?"
"No."
"The era when Heavenly Summit Mountain still existed?"
"No, either."
"Then, was it the era when no one in the world had yet ascended to immortality?"
"Even more distant than that."
"Oh?"
Mr. You showed a slightly interested expression:
"How distant?"
Chen Yan paused for a moment, then slowly said:
"Back when Chenping Continent wasn't called Chenping Continent, but was known as Tianji Continent, ruled by the twelve Immortal Sects... or rather, by the Sage."
Silence instantly fell over the air.