In Vermilion Bird City, the news of the Shangguan family's massacre quickly spread throughout the entire Qingzhou.
Even the rulers of Qingzhou, the Qilin Prince's Manor, and the number one sect in Qingzhou, the Lingyun Sect, sent experts to Vermilion Bird City to investigate the matter.
They made such a fuss not because the survival or death of the Shangguan family was so attention-grabbing. It was because the gray-robed Spirit Realm Master who had annihilated them had become the focus of everyone's attention.
There were only two known gray-robed Spirit Realm Masters in Qingzhou currently, so their value within the region was extremely high. Every major power wanted to recruit a gray-robed Spirit Realm Master into their own ranks, and if they couldn't, they at least wanted to be on good terms and establish some connection.
However, unfortunately, after that day, Mr. Gray-Robed vanished completely. No one knew his whereabouts. But undeniably, this incident was absolutely one of the two most shocking events to rock Qingzhou.
As for the other major event, it concerned one of the top three sects among the thousand or so sects in Qingzhou.
This sect was called the Plum Blossom Sect. It had very good relations with both of the dominant powers, the Qilin Prince's Manor and the Lingyun Sect, and its foundation was also extremely strong. The weakest core disciples of the Plum Blossom Sect were at the Yuan Martial realm, with many having stepped into the Xuan Martial realm. Among its elders, there were countless experts, truly a forest of powerhouses.
The sect master of the Plum Blossom Sect, the Plum Blossom True One, was a figure who had lived for ninety-nine years. His cultivation was at the Ninth Level of Xuan Martial, and he possessed several sixth-rank martial arts and unique techniques. He was at the absolute peak of Xuan Martial, just one step away from stepping into the Heaven Martial realm, making him one of the most famous figures in all of Qingzhou.
Yet, such a formidable sect had been massacred just a few days ago. Within the Plum Blossom Sect, from top to bottom, millions of disciples perished without a single survivor. Even the structures that had stood for hundreds of years were all reduced to ashes.
The magnificent Plum Blossom Sect became a sea of fire, and the ferocity of those flames was such that even the master of the Qilin Prince's Manor and the sect master of the Lingyun Sect could not step into it.
This terrifying sea of fire reminded people of the inferno that had appeared in the Wasteland Desert a few months ago. It was said that a few months prior, in that desert, the tomb of the most powerful figure in Qingzhou a century ago, the Elder of Void Flight, had been discovered.
Once this news spread, the Qilin Prince's Manor, the Lingyun Sect, and all the major powers of Qingzhou sent strong forces to investigate, but they were blocked outside by the sea of fire and unable to approach.
At that time, some skeptical individuals tried to force their way through the flames, but before they even got close, they were incinerated into ash. Moreover, the sea of fire was still burning to this day. Even a torrential downpour two months ago couldn't extinguish it; instead, it seemed to be growing even more vigorous, utterly bizarre.
At that time, someone claimed to have seen a man resembling a beggar walk out of the sea of fire, babbling incoherently but completely unharmed by the flames.
This news seemed utterly absurd. How could anyone emerge from a sea of fire that even the strongest figures in Qingzhou couldn't enter, completely unscathed?
Therefore, this report was dismissed as a joke and completely ignored. But the strangest thing was, on the very day the Plum Blossom Sect was destroyed, someone also saw a beggar walk into the Plum Blossom Sect.
And after the Plum Blossom Sect was annihilated, that same beggar was seen outside its ruins. The beggar was unharmed, though he was acting like a madman.
Curious, thinking the beggar might know some truth, someone approached him to ask about the Plum Blossom Sect. But the moment they opened their mouth to speak, the beggar vanished, and no one even saw how he left.
Once this incident was reported, it caused a massive uproar. Everyone felt the sea of fire in the Wasteland Desert and the one at the Plum Blossom Sect were connected, and it was highly likely the work of that mysterious beggar.
For a time, various forces searched everywhere, trying to find that beggar, because he couldn't be an ordinary beggar but a senior expert of immense power—at least Heaven Martial realm, and some even suspected he might be a Martial Sovereign.
A Martial Sovereign. If such news reached the Jiang Dynasty, even the imperial court would be shaken. That was a powerhouse that didn't even exist within the Jiang Dynasty. Such a person could turn the entire Nine Provinces Continent upside down.
However, only forces as powerful as the Lingyun Sect and the Qilin Prince's Manor could participate in such matters; outsiders could only watch the spectacle. So, although these two pieces of news were shocking, second-tier sects and the like remained unchanged.
For example, the second-tier sect, the Void Sect, continued as usual. Disciples cultivated, and elders lectured. Only the Core Area was quiet.
Because some time ago, the sect master had personally ordered the renovation of the buildings in the Core Area. All core disciples were required to leave, and the Core Area was sealed off.
As for why it was sealed, it was naturally because the gray-robed gentleman was keeping his promise. He was going to set up a Barrier Grand Array in this Core Area to protect the sect's vital foundation in case of future enemy attacks.
After several days of work, Chu Feng finally completed a Barrier Grand Array. Although it still had some flaws due to insufficient cultivation and Mental Power, it was perfectly capable of withstanding attacks from a Xuan Martial Third Level powerhouse.
Such a Barrier Grand Array, in the eyes of the Void Sect Master, was absolutely perfect. So, in his excitement, he presented Chu Feng with a generous gift: twenty high-grade Mystic Medicines.
This was truly a generous gift. After all, the Void Sect was only considered bottom-tier among second-tier sects, far from being as powerful as the Azure Dragon Sect. Besides, twenty high-grade Mystic Medicines were extremely valuable even to the Azure Dragon Sect.
From this, one could see that the Void Sect had really opened its coffers this time. It probably hadn't emptied its entire reserves, but it wasn't far off.
"Sect Master, this gift is truly too valuable. After all, your Void Sect suffered considerable losses helping me. Setting up the Barrier Grand Array for your sect is only right." Looking at the twenty high-grade Mystic Medicines, Chu Feng was tempted but didn't accept them immediately.
"Ah, Mr. Gray-Robed, this is not payment for the Barrier Grand Array, but a small token of respect from my Void Sect. I know my mere Void Sect, a second-tier sect, is unworthy of having you stay as our Guest Elder."
"But my Void Sect still hopes to make friends with you. If possible, I would like to be your friend." The Void Sect Master was quite sincere, stating his true thoughts.
"In that case, this old man will humbly accept!" Chu Feng smiled and stored the twenty high-grade Mystic Medicines into his Universe Bag.
High-grade Mystic Medicines were incredibly precious. Even the Spirit Realm Guild, in its attempt to win Chu Feng over, hadn't offered such a generous gift. Of course, it was undeniable that the pristine white-headed eagle the Guild had given Chu Feng was also extremely valuable; in terms of worth, it probably wasn't lower than these twenty high-grade Mystic Medicines.
But the Spirit Realm Guild was immensely powerful; a pristine white-headed eagle was truly a drop in the ocean, negligible. However, for the Void Sect, these twenty high-grade Mystic Medicines represented possibly several years' worth of accumulated resources.
So at this moment, Chu Feng was very happy. He had a good impression of the Void Sect and silently decided that when he became prosperous in the future, he would definitely give this Void Sect a helping hand.