Inside that great hall in the Southern Phoenix Courtyard, where Xia Ran was recuperating.
Xia Ran remained unconscious, but his condition had stabilized — his severed body had been restored, and his aura was relatively steady.
However, the elders all wore expressions of tension and unease.
Naturally, it was not Xia Ran they were worried about, but Tuoba Jianshu, who had gone to assassinate Chu Feng.
In theory, with Tuoba Jianshu's strength, his assassination of Chu Feng should have been a guaranteed success.
But within the Wo Long Martial Sect, an elder assassinating a disciple was a capital offense punishable by death — hence their worry.
"Pour me a cup of tea."
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the hall.
The already-on-edge elders all flinched, thoroughly startled.
But as they turned toward the source of the voice, the space above the main seat in the hall rippled, and a figure materialized.
It was Tuoba Jianshu.
Having consumed the Intangible Soul-Avoiding Pearl, Tuoba Jianshu's ability to return without anyone noticing was not surprising.
Yet upon seeing his current appearance, the elders felt their hearts drop.
Tuoba Jianshu's face was ashen, his expression tense — he looked as though he had been terrified by something.
When an elder offered him a cup of tea, Tuoba Jianshu could barely hold the cup steady, his body trembling violently.
But none of them dared speak. They simply stood in an orderly row, waiting as Tuoba Jianshu drank the tea.
"Listen well, all of you. From now on, no one is to cause trouble for Chu Feng."
After finishing the tea, Tuoba Jianshu finally addressed the elders.
"Lord Tuoba, what happened?"
The elders could all sense that something had gone wrong.
"I was discovered. The Intangible Soul-Avoiding Pearl — it was useless against that person."
Tuoba Jianshu said.
"That…"
"Then who was this person?"
"Could it be Zhao Yushu?"
The elders' faces turned pale as well.
This matter was of grave importance. If they were discovered, they could lose their heads — not just Tuoba Jianshu, but potentially all of them as well.
"It wasn't Zhao Yushu. The voice didn't match."
"I have no idea who this person is."
"But someone who can detect me even while I'm using the Intangible Soul-Avoiding Pearl — even if this person isn't Zhao Yushu, their strength is certainly not inferior to his." Tuoba Jianshu said.
"Then… what do we do?"
The elders were thoroughly panicked.
Zhao Yushu was an existence of the highest caliber — a figure comparable to a Wo Long Elder.
If this person was on par with Zhao Yushu, then they were very likely one of the Wo Long Elders themselves.
And what kind of existence was a Wo Long Elder? They held the power of life and death over everyone outside the Wo Long Martial Sect.
"You don't need to worry too much."
"If this person had truly wanted to punish me, I wouldn't have made it back alive."
Tuoba Jianshu said.
"So you're saying he just wants to protect Chu Feng, and has no intention of making things difficult for us?"
"Lord Tuoba, what did that person say to you?"
The elders asked.
"He simply said he would let me go this time, but if I dare lay a hand on Chu Feng again, then…"
Tuoba Jianshu did not finish the sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.
"Lord Tuoba, could it be that he's only letting us off for now, and will actually come after us later?"
The elders asked.
"I'm the one who carried this out. Even if there's any punishment, it falls on me. You don't need to be this afraid."
"Just remember — never make a move against Chu Feng again."