Chapter Twenty: A Perilous Situation

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Mo Zhanpeng returned from the sect’s main hall to his private chamber; by then, dusk had already settled. As he pushed open the iron door, Mo Zhanpeng drew a deep breath, steadying the turmoil in his heart.

Earlier, in the main hall, the sect master and the grand elder had confessed that Elder Xu’s recent descent from the mountain to offer up medicine was merely a test. Yet the outcome of that test was chilling: among the elders, there truly was a traitor who had betrayed the sect.

He glanced at his disciple, Qi Fei, who was seated cross-legged, cultivating the sect’s martial arts techniques. The thought that, by the sect master’s order, he might one day have to deal ruthlessly with this disciple filled Mo Zhanpeng with guilt.

Before Mo Zhanpeng had returned, Qi Fei had already concealed both of his martial souls and all his cultivation using the Spirit Rhinoceros Art. Seeing his master’s strange expression, Qi Fei wondered if he had somehow exposed a flaw.

“Hmm? Master, how did you get injured?” Qi Fei now noticed the wounds on Mo Zhanpeng and couldn’t help but cry out in surprise.

“It’s nothing,” Mo Zhanpeng replied calmly. “Earlier, in the main hall, I clashed with disciples from the Seven Absolutes Sect. I was careless for a moment and suffered a minor injury.”

Qi Fei was puzzled and asked, “Was the bell from the main hall earlier because the Seven Absolutes Sect had invaded?”

“No, it was just that the Xuanzhen Temple and the Seven Absolutes Sect joined forces, trying to coerce our Danxia Sect into refining pills for them.”

Qi Fei was about to reply, but after a moment’s internal struggle, Mo Zhanpeng couldn’t help but lower his voice and ask, “Qi Fei, there is something I must ask you. I hope you will answer honestly.”

Qi Fei looked confused. “Master, whatever you wish to know, I will answer truthfully.”

Mo Zhanpeng hesitated for a moment, then sighed deeply and spoke solemnly, “You rendered great merit to the sect when you offered the Essence Gathering Pill. Now that the sect is under pressure from Xuanzhen Temple and the Seven Absolutes Sect, I must ask: did you keep any of the spiritual pills you obtained that day for yourself?”

Qi Fei’s heart skipped a beat. He knew his master was not one for scheming, and that this question, coming right after returning from the main hall, must have been prompted by suspicion from Sect Master Lu Qingxuan and the elders.

“Master, I did not keep any pills for myself. If I had such selfish intentions, why would I offer the Essence Gathering Pill to the sect and invite suspicion?”

With the fate of the sect hanging in the balance, Mo Zhanpeng dared not take Qi Fei’s words at face value. “The sect master has decreed: if you turn over all the spiritual pills and treasures you obtained that day, not only will the punishment at the Cliff of Remorse be lifted, but I will also teach you all that I have learned.”

Qi Fei laughed coldly to himself. So Lu Qingxuan truly had set his sights on him. Now that he had mastered the dual martial souls of ice and fire and possessed countless supreme secrets, how could he possibly care about the Danxia Sect’s techniques?

With a look of aggrieved innocence, Qi Fei said, “Master, I truly have not hidden any pills. I found no treasures in the valley that day. If you and the sect master do not believe me, you can search me yourselves!”

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Qi Fei’s face hardened with resentment as he continued bitterly, “I have always been loyal to the sect. After enduring endless hardships to return to Cangyun Mountain, I even handed over the Essence Gathering Pill, only to be treated like this. Very well, if even my master doubts me, then I have nothing more to say.”

Seeing that Qi Fei did not flinch under his gaze, Mo Zhanpeng found himself half convinced. Still, with the sect master and grand elder so certain that Qi Fei had kept back the opportunities he’d gained that day, Mo Zhanpeng was at a loss.

“Of course I trust you,” Mo Zhanpeng said. “Focus on your cultivation; I will explain everything to the sect master.”

Though Mo Zhanpeng felt compassion for Qi Fei, he dared not reveal the sect’s decision about Qi Fei’s future. After a few words of consolation, he hurried off toward the back mountain.

Mo Zhanpeng’s demeanor instantly put Qi Fei on his guard. Alone in the chamber, Qi Fei reflected soberly, realizing he had underestimated the cunning of the Danxia Sect’s master and elders. Only now did he truly understand the deeper meaning behind his former master’s dying instructions.

Back in the valley, when his life was hanging by a thread, Qi Fei had used all his wits to outmaneuver the cunning Bloodshadow Lord, who at the time was also weakened by corpse poison and on the verge of death. Ultimately, Qi Fei survived by relying on quick thinking, but now he saw how little he truly knew of the world. A single misstep in these troubled times could bring about his death. Returning to Cangyun Mountain and joining Danxia Sect was both his master’s final arrangement and a test for him.

His earlier plans had been careless; he had underestimated the allure of the Essence Gathering Pill and the shrewdness of the sect master and elders. Now, with Danxia Sect under the thumb of Xuanzhen Temple and the Seven Absolutes Sect, they had no choice but to set him aside for the time being. Mo Zhanpeng’s words today, laced with guilt, suggested that the sect master was already plotting against him.

Having now fully awakened his martial souls, Qi Fei thought it would be wise to leave Danxia Sect and avoid disaster. But as he considered this further, a chill ran down his spine.

While Mo Zhanpeng was loyal to the sect, surely the sect master Lu Qingxuan and the elders knew of his straightforward nature. Knowing that this hot-tempered elder would come straight to him, provoking his suspicion—would they really reveal their suspicions to Mo Zhanpeng so easily?

A test!

Recalling Zhao Jin’an’s weary face that day, Qi Fei felt a pang of regret. He had been too naïve in his planning before entering the sect, imagining the hearts of others to be too simple. He must have attracted suspicion that very night.

To confirm his suspicions, Qi Fei reversed the circulation of the Spirit Rhinoceros Art, instantly restoring his cultivation. He crept to the chamber door, held his breath, and focused his inner energy into his ears, listening intently for any movement outside.

With his abundant inner energy and dual martial souls, it didn’t take long for him to detect several faint, barely perceptible presences outside the secret room.

Qi Fei’s mind was thrown into chaos. He cursed his own carelessness. To him, the Danxia Sect had become a perilous abyss. How could he possibly escape from its depths?

He must keep calm, Qi Fei warned himself. If he could not even resolve this crisis, how could he ever hope to stand against the Xuanyin Sword Sect in the future?

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If Lu Qingxuan and the elders suspected him of hiding treasures and spiritual pills, why not simply seize him? Why go to such lengths to test him? Was it merely because Danxia Sect prided itself as a righteous sect? Thinking of the Bloodshadow Lord’s fate in the past, Qi Fei let out a cold laugh. More likely, Lu Qingxuan still had scruples and dared not act rashly.

Though his cultivation was only at the second stage of martial mastery, Qi Fei now possessed the dual martial souls of ice and fire and the divine skill of the Eight-Armed Wind and Thunder Fist. Even if his master Mo Zhanpeng were uninjured, Qi Fei was confident he could put up a fight.

Since it was only a test, his life should not be in immediate danger. For now, he had to compose himself, plan carefully, and find a way through this crisis.

With powerful experts lurking outside the chamber, Qi Fei dared not practice any techniques foreign to the Danxia Sect within the chamber. Seated quietly, he began to recall the techniques of the Demon Heart Sect and Xuanyin Sword Sect, silently plotting his future strategies.

“Mo Zhanpeng has been out for half an hour, and Qi Fei is still meditating. Could our suspicions have been misplaced?” Outside the secret chamber, Lu Qingxuan, who had followed in secret, seemed perplexed.

The grand elder, Guo Huai, wore a dark expression as he said lightly, “Even if Qi Fei spoke the truth and handed over all the pills he obtained, there’s no guarantee he grasped every opportunity in that valley. Once the traitor is found, the sect master can have Qi Fei lead the way back to that valley to investigate.”

Lu Qingxuan nodded slowly, then took out a jade bottle, sighing, “That’s all there is to be done. In three days, when I meet Daoist Cangsong and Sima Yan, this bottle of Essence Gathering Pills will be lost to us.”

Guo Huai consoled him, “Sect master, do not lose heart. Since the valley where Qi Fei found the Essence Gathering Pill contained the ruins of a master, it may well hold other treasures. Our Danxia Sect is beset by storms, but you must not lose your ambition.”

Lu Qingxuan raised his brows. “Of course I know that. If Danxia Sect survives this trial, you and I will search the valley for treasures together.”

“And Qi Fei?”

Lu Qingxuan frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally said with resignation, “After this test, Qi Fei seems less likely to have hidden any pills. With Huo Zhongmou’s restrictions in place outside the Cliff of Remorse, Qi Fei is unlikely to escape. We can send Huo Zhongmou away from Cangyun Mountain later, and then interrogate Qi Fei further.”

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