Library of Heaven’s Path

In the conference room of the Glacier Plain Court, on the main seat, the First Elder was looking at a jade token in her palm. There was another elder who was sitting quietly by her side, seemingly patiently waiting for the First Elder to be done.

Hu!

Placing down the jade token, the First Elder turned her gaze toward the elder sitting beside her.

The elder also turned his gaze over and said, “You should understand now, right?”

“Yes, I do!” The First Elder nodded grimly.

“Good. The reason I was sent here was to explain this matter to you in detail. It should be obvious even without me saying it, but nothing can go wrong this time around. This matter concerns the survival of mankind, so no mistakes will be tolerated. Otherwise, not just your Glacier Plain Court, none of us will be able to bear the consequences!” The elder stood up and placed his hands behind his back.

With a slightly uneasy expression on his face, he gazed upward and said, “Success or failure, everything banks on this. I don’t wish to see everything falling apart due to the inability of your Glacier Plain Court!”

“Don’t worry, I have already locked her up in the Chanting Serenity Hall and planted the Heaven Sealing Lock in her body. Most likely, we should be able to make her give in within three days. As long as she awakens her unique constitution, the plan should be able to move on without any problems!” The First Elder stood up and clasped her fist.

“That would best be the case!” The elder nodded. “Alright, I’ll be taking my leave now. I hope to hear good news from you!”

The elder turned around and headed to the door. However, barely after taking two steps, a soft voice suddenly sounded from the doorway. It was not too loud, but it seemed to dive right into one’s eardrums, making it impossible not to hear what was being said.

“Master Teacher Yang Xuan seeks an audience with the First Elder of the Glacier Plain Court!”

“Yang Xuan?” The First Elder narrowed her eyes in astonishment.

Not too far away, the elder also halted his footsteps upon hearing that voice from astonishment. With a voice carrying a hint of disbelief, he muttered, “Why would Grand Elder Yang appear here?”

“Elder Qu, this…” The First Elder hurriedly looked at the elder before her with a look of apprehension.

“Grand Elder Yang has always roamed the lands freely, such that even our deputy pavilion master is unaware of his whereabouts. I’m also not too sure why he would suddenly appear here either. Hurry up and invite him in!” Elder Qu urged.

“Alright!” Knowing the other party’s standing in the Master Teacher Continent, the First Elder dared not keep him waiting. She quickly walked over to the doorway to the conference room and clasped her fist. “First Elder of the Glacier Plain court, You Ruoxin, pays respect to Yang shi!”

Hu!

A moment after those words were spoken, a figure slowly descended from the sky. The speed of his flight was not too fast, but his movements exquisitely avoided all of the dangers from the defensive formations cast around the area. It was as if his eyes could see all imminent dangers, allowing him to avoid them in advance.

You Ruoxin anxiously lowered her head subserviently.

As the person-in-charge of the Glacier Plain Court, she knew full well how formidable the formation that was set up around the conference room was. Yet, it seemed as if it was nothing more than child’s play to the other party. He could simply walk straight through it without sounding any warning alarms, making it impossible to guard against him. Without a doubt, the man before her had reached a level far beyond her imagination.

The figure in the sky landed gently on the ground.

The First Elder You Ruoxin carefully raised her head to assess the person standing before her. He had slightly yellowish skin, and his outward appearance was similar to that of a person in his late thirties or early forties. He had exceptionally deep eyes that seemed to conceal all of his emotions and thoughts. It was impossible to gauge the extent of his strength just from the aura he emanated, and even when she attempted to weigh him up through discreetly extending her Spiritual Perception to him, she shockingly found that she could not even perceive his presence at all.

Despite so, You Ruoxin narrowed her eyes and asked, “You aren’t Yang shi… Who in the world are you?”

She had never met Yang Xuan in person before, but she had heard some rumors about him and his appearance. From what she knew, Yang Xuan should have been in his fifties with a flowing white beard, and that was completely at odds with the person standing before her.

“I take on many identities as I roam around the world. Do I have to inform you of every single one of them in advance?” ‘Yang shi’s’ face darkened as a powerful aura burst forth from his body.

In this moment, it felt as if the entire conference room would collapse under the pressure of his aura.

“I dare not!” You Ruoxin hurriedly lowered her head fearfully.

She quickly turned her gaze toward Elder Qu, only to see the latter slowly walking toward her.

“Grand Elder Yang does assume many different identities as he roams the world, but when he pays a visit to another in his capacity as a master teacher, he would appear with his real face. You aren’t Yang shi, who in the world are you? Do you know the crime of impersonating a grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters?” Elder Qu uttered sharply as he looked straight at ‘Yang shi’.

You Ruoxin might not have met Yang Xuan before, but he had!

But the middle-aged man before him, be it in terms of appearance or aura, was completely different from the Yang shi whom he knew, so how could they be the same person?

If they were really the same person, he would relinquish his eyes!

“Hmm?” Hearing the words spoken by Elder Qu, ‘Yang shi’s’ heart skipped a beat.

The person before him was dressed in a master teacher robe, and pinned on his chest was a master teacher emblem with nine stars glistening on it. The word ‘headquarters’ could be seen at the bottom of his emblem, indicating his identity as a member of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters.

Why would there be a 9-star master teacher from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters in the Glacier Plain Court?

Of course, this ‘Yang shi’ was still Zhang Xuan. After moving Zhao Ya into the Myriad Anthive Nest, he quickly asked Elder Bai for the First Elder’s location, and without bothering to hide his tracks, he had flown right over.

He had thought that with the unique properties of his Heaven’s Path zhenqi and his deep experience in disguising, he would be able to scare the First Elder right from the get go and convince her that he was Yang Xuan. Who could have thought that there would actually be a master teacher from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters around?

Just what kind of bad luck was this?

He had barely started his act, but the tables had already turned against him.

Coming from the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, the person before him was bound to have met the real Yang Xuan before. How was he supposed to continue acting?

While Zhang Xuan’s heart was beating in trepidation, he did not allow his emotions to show on his face. With a slight flick of his finger, he sent a surge of sword qi right toward Elder Qu.

This surge of sword qi was infused with the essence of the Speed Sword Quintessence. As if slicing right through the fabrics of time, as soon as it escaped the tip of Zhang Xuan’s finger, it immediately appeared right before the other party’s face,

“Hmm?”

Not expecting the imposter to make a move on him right after having his identity exposed, Elder Qu’s face darkened. With a swift flick of his hand, a light barrier appeared on the surface of his skin.

Hu!

Elder Qu thought that the sword qi would collide with his light barrier, but contrary to his expectation, it dissipated upon contact with the light barrier, as if it had never been there in the first place.

The sword qi carried no offensive power at all—the other party was testing him!

Everything had happened so quickly that he had failed to tell that it was just a mere test.

Narrowing his eyes, Elder Qu was about to berate the other party when the fake Yang Xuan before him suddenly frowned. Gazing down on him coldly, the other party sent a telepathic message to him. “Qu Buping, have you resolved the problem of meridian distortion in your Streaming River Art, or have you recovered from the trauma you sustained in the battle against Emperor Baiyu? Otherwise, what gives you the guts to doubt my identity?”

“Ah?”

The words that Elder Qu was just about to speak fell back down his throat, and he froze on the spot.

The Streaming River Art was a cultivation technique that he had created. It allowed a cultivator to drive their zhenqi forth relentlessly, as if a flowing river, granting them immense might. Unfortunately, it had a fatal flaw. The Streaming River Art placed great strain on one’s meridians, and if one used it for too long, it could cause one’s meridians to become distorted.

This was similar to how if a river current was too strong, it would cause its meanders to distort out of shape.

The cultivation and physical condition of 9-star master teachers were top-notch secrets, and they would never reveal a word about the cultivation problems they were facing to others. Otherwise, should the Otherworldly Demons catch wind of it, it could potentially pose a security threat. Yet, the middle-aged man before him actually knew of his past afflictions and even the trauma that he had sustained in his fight against Emperor Baiyu.

If that was the case, could he really be Yang shi?

But what about his completely different disposition and appearance then? This did not make sense!

While Elder Qu was still trying to make sense of the situation, someone spoke.

“I have recently made a breakthrough in my cultivation, which resulted in my appearance and disposition being vastly different from what it used to be. I don’t blame you for failing to recognize me!”