Mist howled as three Gu Immortals sped through the clouds.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" The leading Gu Immortal was none other than the Grand Elder of Spirit Affinity House.
All three Spirit Affinity House immortals — the Grand Elder included — wore anxious, uneasy expressions.
It turned out that Zhao Lianyun had forcibly sent away the Fifth Transformation Gu Master who had been guarding the secret Gu refinement chamber. Once that Fifth Transformation Gu Master was teleported outside, panic seized him, and he immediately sent an urgent communication to the higher-ups of Spirit Affinity House.
Upon receiving the news, the Grand Elder and the others could not sit still. They rose at once and rushed over!
Feng Jinhuang must not come to harm!
Previously, although Bai Qingxian and her daughter Feng Jinhuang had lost their standing due to Feng Jiuge's defection during the Fate War, the Heavenly Court had maintained a cold attitude and had not truly punished the mother and daughter.
By the rules of the Righteous Path, it was also difficult to impose punishment. After all, neither Bai Qingxian nor Feng Jinhuang had betrayed the sect, and Feng Jinhuang was even a disciple of Dragon Master.
During the campaign to hunt down Fang Yuan, Qin Dingling had issued an emergency order. The Grand Elder of Spirit Affinity House had personally operated a Gu House to transport Feng Jinhuang, watching with her own eyes as the girl collected every last fragment of dream that Fang Yuan had left behind.
The merit Feng Jinhuang had earned was no small thing!
Moreover, before departing, the Grand Elder had received a secret voice transmission from Qin Dingling, who had instructed her to take good care of Feng Jinhuang. Even though the Fate Gu had been destroyed, the Dream Path remained the great trend of the future.
The higher-ups of Spirit Affinity House immediately understood the Heavenly Court's intentions — Feng Jinhuang was still favored, secretly cultivated. The dreams Feng Jinhuang had collected had all been taken back with her; the Heavenly Court had not reclaimed a single one!
The three immortals shot directly into Refinement Chamber Number One.
"Fairy Lianyun, you must stay calm— eh?"
The three immortals were stunned.
They did not see Feng Jinhuang dead. Instead, the scene before them was a confrontation between Feng Jinhuang and Zhao Lianyun.
Traces of blood still lingered at the corner of Feng Jinhuang's mouth, but under their probing methods, the three immortals immediately discovered that Feng Jinhuang was perfectly healthy, unharmed in the slightest.
"What is going on here?"
"Could it really be that Zhao Lianyun saved Feng Jinhuang?"
"How bizarre. Zhao Lianyun has always been part of the anti-Feng faction. Feng Jinhuang's failure to refine the Gu this time — her timing was far too suspicious. She clearly came to cause trouble. So why has it turned out like this?"
The three immortals were thoroughly bewildered.
From the way things looked, it was actually Feng Jinhuang who held the upper hand in presence and momentum, while Zhao Lianyun's expression was rather grim.
"Feng Jinhuang, you're something else!" Zhao Lianyun fixed Feng Jinhuang with a long, meaningful gaze, left those cryptic words, turned, and walked away.
She brushed past the three immortals who had arrived without so much as a greeting, a stark departure from her usual composure — a clear sign of how foul her mood was.
Feng Jinhuang wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand in a single casual motion, then smiled and bowed in greeting to the three Grand Elders.
The three immortals all came to a realization, inwardly amazed.
"It appears Feng Jinhuang must have used her wits. She must have discovered something and turned the trap around, luring Zhao Lianyun and the others into revealing themselves."
"Ever since the Fate War, Feng Jinhuang's progress has been remarkably evident. Truly, adversity forges a person."
"But this dispute between the two sides — what is to be done?"
The three immortals suffered silently in distress.
On one side stood the anti-Feng faction. Xu Hao and Li Junying were the faction's pillars — they had personally installed Zhao Lianyun as the current Fairy of Spirit Affinity House. With Zhao Lianyun's addition, this faction had already become the single most powerful force within Spirit Affinity House.
On the other side were Bai Qingxian and Feng Jinhuang. This mother and daughter were no easy characters either, with deep roots and strong backing. Though Feng Jinhuang appeared downtrodden, she was still valued by the Heavenly Court. And let it not be forgotten — her father was still Feng Jiuge. Feng Jiuge may have betrayed the Righteous Path, but as long as he remained alive, everyone in Spirit Affinity House could not forget his existence!
The struggle between these two factions had become the greatest internal threat to Spirit Affinity House, and the Grand Elder was powerless to resolve it.
"Feng Jinhuang, in the future should you wish to refine Gu, you are welcome to come to my main peak." The Grand Elder looked at Feng Jinhuang in silence for a moment before speaking in a kindly tone.
She was deliberately turning a blind eye to the incident where Zhao Lianyun had come to cause trouble.
After all, there was no evidence.
The only evidence had been consumed during the refinement and destroyed.
Moreover, even if there were evidence, the Grand Elder would probably suppress it. A public confrontation would only ignite the internal crisis, causing the sect to rapidly decline.
The Grand Elder was mature enough to understand. Right now, Spirit Affinity House was mired in internal strife — like the mouth of a volcano that would inevitably erupt in the future. What she needed to do was place a lid over that volcanic mouth, covering it as best she could, buying time. And within that bought time, she needed to carve open the proper channels, allowing the magma within to flow out and release, venting the internal pressure and maintaining stability.
Zhao Lianyun flew back to her Emotional Summit, her face iron-grey the entire way.
She did not enter her hall. Instead, she stood at the peak's summit, gazing at the overcast sky.
She knew someone would come.
Sure enough, before long, Xu Hao and Li Junying arrived together, flying in from two directions.
The married couple's expressions were no better. On their way here, they had already learned that this plot had failed. But the specifics of what had happened — they still needed to hear from Zhao Lianyun's own mouth.
Before Xu Hao and Li Junying could open their mouths, Zhao Lianyun spoke first: "Fellow immortals, how did Feng Jinhuang discover the flaw in the refinement materials? This plot has been exposed — what do you two have to say for yourselves?"
Xu Hao was rendered speechless.
Li Junying said darkly, "I underestimated Feng Jinhuang. Lianyun, you know my title is Illusionary Extermination — this sort of thing is precisely what I excel in. Especially recently, having advanced to Grandmaster level in the Shadow Path. Even if I had placed those materials before the Grand Elder herself, she might not have detected anything amiss."
Zhao Lianyun's expression turned ugly. She flicked her sleeve in anger. "Yet the facts speak for themselves. What explanation do you two offer?"
Xu Hao spoke up: "Perhaps Dragon Master once gave Feng Jinhuang some means of self-protection. Or perhaps this is the power of the Dream Path — after all, none of us are truly familiar with it. Just like that great demon Fang Yuan, who more than once relied on the Dream Path to defy stronger opponents."