Under the cover of night, a cool breeze swept across the sea surface that merged with the sky, blowing the moon's reflection on the water into a mottled, scattered shimmer.
The sound of waves mixed with the wind, rushing and splashing.
Just then, an oval Energy Shield rose up from the depths of the seabed, and upon reaching the restless sea surface, it suddenly sprang up, suspended in mid-air.
The moment it was airborne, the Energy Shield quickly dispersed, revealing Zhang Qianren, dressed in a Black Robe, with gaunt cheeks and sharp, fierce eyes.
The small sword hanging at his waist like a pendant unsheathed itself, and before he could even begin to fall, it had already rapidly grown to the size of a door and arrived beneath his feet.
In the next instant, a whooshing sound rang out, and Zhang Qianren transformed into Sword Light, heading toward Guanhai City not far away.
As the night wind blew past his cheeks, Zhang Qianren subconsciously lowered his head.
When he had arrived at Guanhai City the day before yesterday, his eyes had taken in handsome men and beautiful women, lush mountains and clear waters.
He had thought to himself that once he turned one hundred years old, living in such a remote small city might not be bad after all.
But at this moment, as he looked at the dazzling lights below, his mentality had quietly shifted.
He had been engaged in Sword Riding Flight for several decades, yet it was only now that he seemed to understand that feeling of being above all beings.
Zhang Qianren couldn't help but reach his hand forward, savoring the tactile sensation of the night wind flowing through his fingers.
In this scene, he suddenly wanted to recite poetry, to give voice to the boundless passion in his chest.
But even after he had crossed half of Guanhai City, he still hadn't managed to force out a single word.
When he landed on the Deck of the Towering Ship, his face was still full of worried expression.
The Outer Sect Disciple who had been waiting for him under Steward Yue Yang's order stepped forward to bow the moment he saw him.
"This disciple pays respects to the Deacon. Steward Yue Yang had this disciple wait here for you, and asked that a message be passed along."
As he said this, he noticed Zhang Qianren's worried expression, and guessed in his heart that this Deacon must have been like the other disciples who had already returned, wasting many Water Repelling Talismans for nothing.
Upon hearing the name "Yue Yang," Zhang Qianren's Brow immediately arched, and he said, "That Sick Ghost came too?"
The disciple's expression turned embarrassed, unsure whether he should pretend not to have heard.
Seeing this, Zhang Qianren didn't make things difficult for him, and asked, "What does that Sick Ghost want to inform this old man of?"
The disciple secretly breathed a sigh of relief and reported, "Steward Yue Yang said that once you returned, you are not to step into the East Sea until the Imperial decree arrives."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qianren immediately reacted.
"So it seems the news from the Demon Suppression Division has already reached the Imperial Court..."
Thinking this, he asked, "Besides dispatching that Sick Ghost this time, who else from the Sect came?"
The disciple automatically ignored the words "Sick Ghost" and respectfully said, "Besides Steward Yue Yang, the Vice Sect Master also came. Aside from those two, there are nine Outer Sect Deacons, ten Inner Sect Deacons, and some Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters from the Inner Sect."
"The Vice Sect Master actually came too?"
Zhang Qianren wasn't the least bit surprised that the various Inner and Outer Sect Deacons had come; what surprised him instead was that Vice Sect Master Fu Qingfeng had personally arrived.
Just thinking of the man's Cultivation Level at the Nascent Soul Stage made his heart flutter with unease, and the boundless passion from before instantly vanished into thin air.
"The Vice Sect Master... is he aboard the Towering Ship?"
He secretly swallowed, asking the tentative question.
The disciple shook his head, and told him that Fu Qingfeng had been invited away by the City Lord as soon as he arrived at Guanhai City.
Only then did Zhang Qianren secretly breathe a sigh of relief, and he stepped forward toward the wooden building.
As soon as he walked inside, he immediately heard some familiar voices.
But the words those familiar voices were saying made his face turn dark.
"That Exotic Treasure has been born for two days now, yet the Divine Weapon Compendium hasn't shown any change, which shows that this treasure's Power is nothing special. This old man suggests that once we return to the Sect, we ask the Sect Master to punish Zhang Qianren for the crime of exaggeration!"
"This old man seconds that. The Sect's affairs are busy enough, yet Zhang Qianren tricked us all into coming here with just a single word. Making such a fuss out of nothing, he should be dismissed from his position as Deacon!"
"You two Deacons speak too harshly. If it were only Deacon Zhang Qianren's word alone, punishment would indeed be warranted, but the Marvelous Sight on the day that treasure was born was witnessed with their own eyes by every Mortal in Guanhai City."
"This old man exchanged a message with the Dragon Lord of the East Sea today. The Dragon Lord also said that during Si Shi （9 to 10:59） the day before yesterday, the sea was awash with Rosy Clouds shining brightly and surging Auspicious Aura, as if a Precious Treasure had been born. This shows that Deacon Zhang Qianren did not exaggerate."
"As for why that treasure hasn't appeared on the Divine Weapon Compendium, it's likely because this place is too far from the Imperial City, and the Sky Monitoring Disk of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion hasn't finished investigating."
Just as they were talking about this, a loud bang rang out as the Room Door was kicked open.
Everyone subconsciously looked back, only to see Zhang Qianren, dressed in a Black Robe, striding in.
His face, normally amiable, was now full of a cold look, and his turbid eyes were filled with an even sharper, fiercer look.
In the past, facing so many Deacons, even if Zhang Qianren's heart was boiling with rage, he wouldn't have dared act this way.
After all, he had to think of his descendants.
But now, having obtained the Ruyi Jingu Bang, hailed as an innate supreme treasure, even though his Realm was still low, he had unknowingly become full of confidence.
As for returning to his hometown to raise crops and cultivate descendants, that thought had long since been cast out of his mind.
If he himself could achieve Becoming an Immortal and Longevity, what need did he have for descendants?
The many Deacons in the room, seeing the usually meek and submissive Zhang Qianren acting so out of character today, were all stunned.
After a few breaths, they came to their senses.
For a moment, the sound of hands slamming on tables and furious shouts rose one after another.
"Zhang Qianren, do you even have any respect left for this old man?"
"Zhang Qianren, this old man is sitting right here, and you dare act so arrogant!"
"Outrageous!"
In the past, seeing so many Deacons angered like this, Zhang Qianren would surely have hunched his back and smiled apologetically at everyone.
But at this moment, he narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across the crowd, sneering repeatedly.
If it weren't for the Fear still in his heart toward the Great Yu Dynasty Court, and toward the Sect Master and Vice Sect Master of the Sect, he would have loved nothing more than to immediately pull the Ruyi Jingu Bang from where it was tucked in his hair and beat this bunch of old things to death with a single strike.
In his view, before the thirteen-thousand-five-hundred-jin Ruyi Jingu Bang, even someone at the Golden Core Stage was no more than an ant.
And among those present, though they all held the title of Deacon, even the one with the highest Cultivation Level was only at the middle Golden Core Stage.
Yue Yang, seated among them, seeing the atmosphere suddenly turn oppressive, quickly coughed violently several times.
Once he had drawn everyone's attention to himself, he slowly spoke.
"Everyone, though we may disagree, we're all doing this for the Sect. Old Zhang, calm your temper."
"As for that treasure... we still don't even know its name. Whether we should go back into the sea to keep searching will have to wait until the Vice Sect Master returns to decide."
"We're all getting on in years, and there are so many disciples outside. If we start quarreling like this, won't we just become a laughingstock to those juniors?"
"How will we maintain our dignity after this?"
Hearing his words, the other Deacons, though their faces had turned ashen, said nothing more, though a few hot-tempered Deacons let out a cold snort.
Yue Yang looked at Zhang Qianren and said, "Old Zhang, you were in the sea for so long — did you find that treasure?"
Zhang Qianren's expression showed nothing unusual; he merely sighed lightly and shook his head. "This old man's fortune runs thin. I never found that treasure, and wasted a great deal of time for nothing."
After he finished speaking, before Yue Yang could respond, a hot-tempered Deacon had already begun mocking him coldly.
"Deacon Zhang certainly didn't waste his time. While the rest of us sat idle here on this Towering Ship, you got to take in all the beautiful scenery in the sea."
Yue Yang covered his mouth and coughed a few times, and was just about to say something when a young disciple came rushing in, flustered and urgent.
Before anyone could even ask what was wrong, the disciple had already begun stammering.
"E-everyone, Deacons, the Divine, the Divine Weapon Compendium has changed!"
Newcomer new book, asking for everything!
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