Of the fifteen Immortal Gu Masters in the sect, more than half had descended in their true bodies.
This was an exceedingly rare sight.
Sect meetings were held at regular intervals, and the immortals needed only to leave behind a wisp of will or an emotional imprint to participate in the deliberations.
But today, eight Immortal Gu Masters had come in person, including both of Spirit Fated Studio's two Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu Masters.
The reason for this was Feng Jiu Ge's disappearance.
Every Immortal Gu Master in Spirit Fated Studio sensed the turbulence and unease that lay ahead.
"I have gathered you all here today to announce an important matter." The Supreme Grand Elder of Spirit Fated Studio sat in the seat of honor, her gaze sweeping slowly across the hall, her voice low and measured.
Spirit Fated Studio had one clear distinction from the other nine major sects.
It had far more female immortals.
Of the Immortal Gu Masters in Spirit Fated Studio, ten were women and only five were men.
The Supreme Grand Elder and the Supreme Second Elder were both female immortals at the Eighth Transformation.
At this moment, every pair of eyes in the hall was fixed on the Supreme Grand Elder's face.
Her expression was perfectly blank, but the Supreme Second Elder beside her wore a dark, heavy frown.
The immortals read their expressions and felt a chill of foreboding.
Sure enough, the Supreme Grand Elder's next words landed on everyone's hearts like a massive boulder.
"It has been confirmed. Feng Jiu Ge perished in the Northern Plains. He died in the Great Unity Wind. There were no remains—only two blood-written characters as his final message."
Every heart in the hall sank.
Fairy Bai Qing, who had come to attend this meeting in person, felt her head spin violently, her face draining of all color in an instant.
Even with prior preparation, hearing the actual news still felt utterly unreal.
Someone as powerful as Feng Jiu Ge—fallen in the Northern Plains. Meanwhile, Immortal Gu Masters of lesser strength had mostly survived and returned to the sect.
Truthfully, when Feng Jiu Ge had set out, no one could have predicted such an outcome.
For so long, Feng Jiu Ge's image of overwhelming strength had been deeply rooted in their hearts. He was Spirit Fated Studio's foremost banner, had even become a symbol.
Now that he was dead, every immortal in the hall felt a hollow sense of loss.
Even Xu Hao and Li Junying of the Anti-Feng Faction shared that feeling.
The Supreme Grand Elder continued: "The Information Path Gu Insect before you contains the full details. Please examine them first."
The immortals reached into the Gu Insects with their minds, one after another.
"Alas, Lord Feng Jiu Ge dying in the Great Unity Wind—that at least does not disgrace his name." After a long silence, one immortal finally spoke, breaking the stillness of the hall.
Fairy Bai Qing kept her eyes tightly shut, her body trembling faintly. Grief and anguish surged through her like a towering tsunami, swallowing her whole.
She had loved Feng Jiu Ge so deeply. And he had loved her just as deeply in return.
An image surfaced in her mind—the farewell at his departure. She had never imagined that would be the last time she would ever see her husband!
How cruel fate could be.
Now I live, yet you are dead. I remain in the Central Continent, while you have fallen in the Northern Plains!
Fairy Bai Qing dared not open her eyes. She feared that the moment she did, her tears would roll down uncontrollably.
She forced herself to think of her daughter, Feng Jinhuang, repeating silently in her heart: "Bai Qing. Bai Qing, you must be strong. You absolutely cannot let anyone see you show weakness at a time like this!"
She took several deep breaths and slowly opened her eyes. They were already glistening with moisture, the pupils shot through with fine threads of blood.
By now, the immortals in the hall had moved on to discussing Feng Jiu Ge's final blood-written message.
"Before he died, Feng Jiu Ge wrote the two characters 'Bo Qing' in his hand. What exactly did he mean to convey?"
"In my view, this clue is extremely important. It must be that under the immense pressure of impending death, Feng Jiu Ge came to some realization. The pity is that by the time he met Zhao Lianyun, he was already at his last breath and lacked the strength to say more—so instead he left us this crucial clue."
"What does Bo Qing have to do with Feng Jiu Ge's investigation into the collapse of the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building in the Northern Plains?"
"Feng Jiu Ge and Bo Qing are quite similar figures. Though Bo Qing was far more powerful—he was the Peak Stage of Central Continent in his era, and even the Immortal Gu Masters of Heavenly Court had to bow their heads before him. That was Spirit Fated Studio's most glorious age! Back then, many believed he would become the Sword Dao Immortal Venerable. Regrettably, he failed in the end."
"We already have intelligence on Bo Qing. What I want to know is, why did Feng Jiu Ge write only 'Bo Qing' with his dying breath? What was he trying to tell us?"
The hall fell silent for a moment before one immortal spoke: "Have you all forgotten? In the earlier intelligence, Feng Jiu Ge's opponent Qin Baisheng employed the Five Finger Fist Heart Sword. That killer move was created by Bo Qing—it was his signature technique."
"Are you saying Feng Jiu Ge meant to imply that the collapse of the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building is connected to Bo Qing?"
"My theory is that he suspected the opponent's mastery of the Five Finger Fist Heart Sword must have some connection, however indirect, to Bo Qing. And since Bo Qing was once an Immortal Gu Master of Spirit Fated Studio, we would have the advantage in investigating—that makes it a vital lead."
"Indeed. Bo Qing perished completely under the Heavenly Tribulation back then—even his ashes were scattered. How could his killer move end up being wielded by a Northern Plains Immortal Gu Master?"
The immortals debated among themselves for a while longer, theories multiplying, but none of them particularly convincing.
The Supreme Grand Elder slowly raised her hand. That single gesture silenced the hall in an instant.