Lu Mei Niang hurriedly said, "Just a trivial matter..."

Zhang Yan waved his hand and said, "Fellow Daoist Lu, there’s no need to be courteous to my disciple. In the future, your opportunity may rest upon him."

Lu Mei Niang, enlightened by his words, nodded slightly with understanding, saying, "Yes." She made a respectful gesture and stepped aside.

Wei Zihong loudly said, "Thank you, Master, for your fulfillment."

He respectfully bowed his head before he stood up. At this moment, the girl transformed from the Array Spirit approached him, whispered a few words in his ear, and without realizing it, he nodded. He reached into his sleeve, took out a Wooden Box, held it with both hands, and presented it to Zhang Yan, saying, "Master, before leaving, the elder disciples of all sects left many letters, entrusting me to pass them on for your perusal."

Zhang Yan casually took them, opened one to read, and found the letter mostly contained pleasantries, merely trying to establish some rapport with him. After looking through several more, they were all the same, without anything special. He was about to put them away when he paused, seemed to think of something, his eyes flickered slightly, before he shook his robe sleeve and stored all the letters into his Sleeve Bag.

At this moment, a clear whistle sound suddenly came from heaven. He turned to look and saw a brilliant golden rainbow coming from afar, flying swiftly close to the gorge’s river, arriving at the bottom of the mountain within moments, but prevented from going up due to the Forbidden Array’s obstruction.

Zhang Yan exclaimed in surprise, "Xiaoze Golden Sword?"

This sword is usually used for communication within the Dragon Abyss Marsh. Its display here unmistakably announces to others that it is a Flying Sword Transmission from the Mingcang Sect.

He pondered briefly, reached out, and captured the Golden Sword, unscrewing the hilt to retrieve the letter inside. After reading it, he couldn’t help but laugh lightly, saying, "Just as I expected, having wealth incurs guilt. Knowing that the Junyang Essence is entirely in my possession, some are discontent, and the journey back this time will likely not be peaceful."

The sender of this letter goes by the name Miao Kun, a registered disciple under Sect Leader Qin, with whom he has no deep ties. The sudden arrival of the letter is enough to deduce that it’s just used as a front, and the actual sender is undoubtedly the Sect Leader, making the letter’s contents credible.

Wei Zihong was shocked upon hearing this, fearfully saying, "Master, I took it upon myself to publicly announce the matter of killing Feng Haiyang. Did I make a mistake?"

Zhang Yan shook his head with a smile and said, "You haven’t made any mistake. If I intended to hide it, how would you know?"

Three years ago, he deliberately released the news.

He had anticipated beforehand that if Feng Haiyang’s fate with him was uncertain and he hadn’t sent a message, six Great Demon Sect experts would surely gather outside Chengyuan Gorge to assist Feng Haiyang.

In such chaos, once he got his hands on the Junyang Essence and left the Star Stone, during the journey back to the Mingcang Sect, he would inevitably be intercepted by numerous Demon Sect Practitioners, and might even face difficult opponents.

But now things are different; knowing the Junyang Essence is in his possession, all sects will ensure his safety to prevent it from being seized by the Demon Sect.

Even if troubles arise, they will be among the Xuanmen sects, and there will be no threat to his life.

And the Sect Leader’s letter was sent to inform him that on the way back to the Mountain Gate, there will be three individuals he cannot possibly contend with, who will come to block his path, and he must deal with it carefully.

Zhang Yan pondered for a while and smiled slightly, sitting down cross-legged on the Dharma Platform.

Wei Zihong noticed his actions and was momentarily stunned, saying, "Master, are we not returning to the Cave Mansion?"

Zhang Yan replied, "There’s no need to rush; I have my reasons."

Wei Zihong dared not say more, bowed deeply, and stepped aside, standing and waiting respectfully.

Zhang Yan then said to Lu and Zhang, "You two may leave now."

Lu Mei Niang and Zhang Boyant, though puzzled, did not say anything further, and after bowing, went to sit with their eyes closed, breathing, and calming their Essence Qi.

After about an hour, suddenly, a booming laugh echoed from the Heavenly Cloud, saying, "Daoist Zhang, may an old Daoist speak a few words?"

Zhang Yan looked up and saw a refined, slender old Daoist standing in mid-air, his face glowing with red light, a white beard fluttering in the wind, exuding a celestial air. He examined carefully but couldn’t discern anything about this person, so he stood up and bowed, replying, "Senior, please speak; I am all ears."

The Daoist said, "Daoist Zhang, I’m here to ask you, did you obtain the Junyang Essence for the Mingcang Sect, or for the Yao Yin Sect?"

Zhang Yan responded without hesitation, "I attended the meeting in the name of the Yao Yin Sect, naturally considering it for the benefit of the Yao Yin Sect."

"Good!" The old Daoist nodded and continued, "Do you know that your journey back will be fraught with obstacles, with many coveting the item you possess, and since you are not vying for the essence for the Mingcang Sect, it is unlikely anyone will come to your aid!"

Zhang Yan understood clearly that Sect Leader Qin’s letter essentially informed him that the Mingcang Sect cannot openly support him.

If his life is at risk, the Mingcang Sect can rightfully intervene, but if those people come solely for the essence and not to harm him, it would be inappropriate to act, otherwise, the lack of ties between Yao Yin and the Mingcang Sect would make its stance indefensible.

Behind this matter, there’s still the ongoing struggle for the essence, and the present situation is a covert contest between the Xuanmen sects and the Mingcang Sect.

And he stands in the midst of this vortex, how he responds is solely up to him.

Seeing his silence, the old Daoist spoke once more, "Daoist friend, I have a method, would you like to hear it?"

Zhang Yan bowed and said, "Please enlighten me, Senior."

The old Daoist said, "Just remember, should you face danger, simply call out ’Master Huang Yu,’ and I will come to your rescue, ensuring your safe return to the Mountain Gate."

After saying this, the person laughed heartily, transformed into a stream of light, and vanished in an instant.

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)