Upon hearing this, Chen Yan felt his head buzz with a sudden shock.
The Immortal Gambling Den in Taiyun City had been wiped out?
Right after he left?
If he had left just a little later, he probably would have had to start all over again.
Because, at the very least, Manager Ding was stationed there.
Although he didn't know Manager Ding's exact cultivation level, Chen Yan was certain that Manager Ding's cultivation was definitely above the Qi Sea Realm.
Furthermore, the very fact that the Immortal Gambling Den had been able to exist in Taiyun City for so long indicated it definitely had the backing of the Kongshan Sect's power and influence.
Even so, the Immortal Gambling Den had still ended up completely annihilated.
"Who did it?" Chen Yan asked.
Elder Fu Qian opened the box Chen Yan had just handed him, slowly taking out the slip of paper from inside.
"Besides, who would even care about such trivial matters?"
Trivial matters.
That's right. To the lofty Martial Elder of Qingchan Peak, this was indeed an insignificant, trivial matter.
All worldly affairs within the Kongshan Sect were handled by disciples from the External Affairs Hall of the outer court.
Never mind just the Immortal Gambling Den in Taiyun City being wiped out.
Even if Taiyun City itself were to be slaughtered, it would be the outer court's External Affairs Hall that would deal with such problems. Inner court disciples couldn't be bothered to spare it a glance.
What do the lives and deaths of mere ordinary mortals have to do with me?
That was the mindset of the vast majority of cultivators.
As for why Fu Qian knew about the Immortal Gambling Den being slaughtered?
Chen Yan could probably guess.
Fu Qian unfolded that slip of paper. Only thirteen names were written on it.
Chen Yan had been closely observing Elder Fu Qian's facial expression the entire time, but he didn't detect any emotional fluctuation from this Martial Elder.
Then, Fu Qian very calmly closed the slip of paper in his hand and pinched it between his index and middle fingers.
With a slight flick in the air, the paper began to burn, turning to ashes in an instant.
"Enough, enough. You may also withdraw."
Fu Qian simply said this.
For some reason, this over-six-hundred-year-old Myriad Transformations Realm cultivator seemed to have aged considerably in that brief moment.
...
Cultivation was supposed to be a leisurely, carefree pursuit with a long and profound history.
That's what Chen Yan had originally thought.
Cultivators, although blessed with long lifespans and possessing earth-shattering, world-altering power, were ultimately still human.
And as long as one is human, one can never escape one phrase.
The world bustles, all come for profit; the world hustles, all go for gain.
This 'profit' didn't necessarily have to be money or land. It could also be cultivation resources, power, and status.
Chen Yan now felt that the sect he thought he knew so well was becoming increasingly unfamiliar.
Back in his first life, although Chen Yan was just an ordinary outer court disciple who spent his entire life unable to break through to the Martial Spring Realm—in fact, he was still quite a distance away from it—he still felt a certain sense of belonging to the Kongshan Sect.
But as Chen Yan's cultivation grew higher, his status rose, and he came into contact with more and more important figures, he began to see this world less and less clearly.
What exactly did Song Mingde's list represent?
Pei Qingshan.
Zheng He.
Qiguan Jin.
He Furen...
The Dignity Elder of Linwu Mountain?
Chen Yan didn't understand what this list could represent. The main reason was that he didn't recognize the names of the people on this list.
A wave of nameless fury surged in Chen Yan's heart.
Damn it, if only he were an Immortal Ascension Realm powerhouse, he'd slap all these scheming, shitty elders to death.
But he was absolutely not some Immortal Ascension Realm powerhouse. He was even just a minor Martial Spring Realm cultivator.
The only thing Chen Yan could do was operate within the framework preset by those Grand Elders, trying every possible method to raise his reincarnation evaluation level, thereby obtaining higher cultivation and greater strength.
What should he do now?
Chen Yan felt that right now, he should go seek help from perhaps the person most "trustworthy" to him at this moment.
...
Kongyuan Mountain, Rear Cliff.
This was the sect's absolute forbidden ground. Without Yun Yichen's permission, even if you were a Grand Elder of the Kongshan Sect, or even a Dao Union Realm powerhouse, there was absolutely no possibility of entering the Rear Cliff.
The reason was that here lay the restriction left behind by the first Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator to emerge from the Kongshan Sect, True Person Kongmiao.
Any living being with true qi within their body could not pass through the restriction left by True Person Kongmiao.
Chen Yan now stood before the Rear Cliff.
Because of True Person Kongmiao's restriction, although this was the Kongshan Sect's absolute forbidden ground, it still didn't require anyone to guard it.
Chen Yan intended to try and enter.
Although he was now in the Martial Spring Realm, with true qi continuously surging from his martial spring to every corner of his meridians, he still planned to make the attempt.
Because the cultivation art he practiced was the Hidden Immortal Art.
Back when Chen Yan obtained the Hidden Immortal Art, the Reincarnation Reward's introduction to this cultivation art stated that it concealed heavenly secrets, and no one could see through your cultivation level.
Well, what about the Immortal Ascension Realm?
Could a restriction left by an Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator see through his cultivation level?
Chen Yan intended to test it.
He activated the Hidden Immortal Art, suppressing his cultivation level from the Martial Spring Realm down to the Qi Circulation Realm, then further down to the Body Forging Realm, and finally to that of a mortal.
In the eyes of any cultivator now, Chen Yan was just an ordinary person with no cultivation at all.
Then, Chen Yan took a step forward, stepping into True Person Kongmiao's restriction.
Nothing happened. It was just a step forward.
But he was already standing on the Rear Cliff of Kongyuan Mountain.
True Person Kongmiao's restriction was ineffective against Chen Yan, who possessed the Hidden Immortal Art.
He let out a sigh of relief, because just moments ago, Chen Yan had already prepared himself to be repelled to death by the restriction left in the world by an Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator and to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.
But none of that happened.
Chen Yan continued walking forward. The Rear Cliff wasn't very large.
Soon, Chen Yan saw that middle-aged man wearing a crane-feather cloak sitting by the edge of the cliff, as if admiring the view. A tea table was placed in front of him.
He was there, grinding tea leaves.
Lin Qifeng raised his head. He seemed to have sensed something, and then he saw Chen Yan appearing not far from him.
"Master, spending your time reflecting here on the Rear Cliff seems quite comfortable."
Chen Yan took a few more steps forward, then bowed respectfully in Lin Qifeng's direction.
"Otherwise, what did you think I was doing on the Rear Cliff?"
Lin Qifeng looked as if he wasn't the least bit surprised about why Chen Yan would appear on the Rear Cliff. He just spoke in such a flat tone.
"Did you really think I was here reflecting?"
"Perhaps if Master had been reflecting properly, the Sect Leader might have released you by now."
"Hmph."
Lin Qifeng let out a rather disdainful, cold laugh.
"Do you think I don't understand that old man? If he wanted to let me out, I would have been out long ago. If he doesn't want to let me out, it's useless even if I lick the back of his heel!"