After learning the truth, Chu Feng wasted no time. He brought Erya's mother back to his lodgings, then turned around and returned to his room to tell Zi Ling everything.
Upon hearing the news, Zi Ling was even more furious than Chu Feng. She insisted on going to eliminate those dishonorable cultivators. Without even finishing her meal, she set out with Chu Feng.
However, just as Chu Feng and Zi Ling took to the air and headed in the direction Erya's mother had described, three figures suddenly emerged from a patch of white clouds above the village.
There were three people — two middle-aged men and a white-haired elder. They stood in the sky, yet not a trace of aura emanated from their bodies. It was as if they didn't exist at all, undetectable by anyone.
They were dressed in golden robes — an attire that unmistakably marked them as members of the Jiang Dynasty.
"Notify the Princess. Tell her that Chu Feng and Zi Ling have been located," the white-haired elder said to one of the middle-aged men.
"Understood." The man immediately took out paper and brush to write a letter, then pulled a small birdcage from inside his robe. After channeling a special incantation into it, a messenger bird flew out from the tiny cage.
"Contact the other clan members. Make sure you capture them alive before the Princess arrives," the white-haired elder then said to the other middle-aged man.
"Understood." This middle-aged man also moved without delay. He took out a special artifact and released an invisible, odorless wave of energy.
Once both men had finished their tasks, the elder swept his sleeve, and a layer of energy spread outward from his robe. Under the influence of this energy, the three figures flickered and shifted, ultimately vanishing without a trace.
Three hundred li from Erya's home stood a modest mountain range that had long been unclaimed territory.
This region was located on the border of Yuanzhou, where sects were few and far between, so very little of the land had been claimed. All the surrounding forces were small sects and minor factions — the strongest cultivators among them being peak Xuan Martial at best.
In a powerhouse province like Yuanzhou, a force without a single Heaven Martial realm expert to anchor it was at best considered third-rate. Even those with a Heaven Martial cultivator were merely second-rate. Only forces boasting numerous Heaven Martial experts along with several heaven-defying powerhouses could be called first-rate.
In truth, Yuanzhou had only one truly first-rate force — the White Hidden Sect.
Much like the Lingyun Sect in Qingzhou, the White Hidden Sect suppressed the development of rival sects to protect its position at the top, resulting in a landscape dominated by a single power.
Yet a few months ago, the arrival of an old man brought change to this desolate region where cultivators were scarce.
The small surrounding forces were swept aside one by one. All who refused to submit were killed — only those who pledged loyalty to the old man were allowed to keep their lives.
Over the span of several months, this old man had risen to become the overlord of the region through his ruthless methods, gathering every person of strength under his banner.
And so, in recent days, he had finally begun construction of his own sect — built upon that unclaimed mountain range three hundred li from Erya's home.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble..."
"Clink, clink, clink..."
Upon the unclaimed mountain range, construction was in full swing. It was a massive undertaking, for building a sect was no simple task.