Mortal: Starting by looting Han Laomo's entire herb garden

Lu Yan followed the Hongguang Sect disciples to the Hongguang Sect's headquarters.

Before even entering, one could sense the intertwined spiritual pressure of several Nascent Soul stage cultivators, creating a tense atmosphere.

Stepping across the threshold, I found the hall filled with people.

In the main seat, Elder Jinxia had white hair and a pale face, clearly still recovering from her injuries, but her spirits were still good.

Sitting next to him was Master Miaohe of the Biyun Sect, who still had that shrewd and worldly appearance.

Sitting to his left were several faces that Lu Yan did not recognize. They were all in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm, and judging from their clothing, they were probably elders from sects on other islands in the outer sea.

The most conspicuous were two elderly men in white robes, sitting side by side in the guest seats; they were elders sent by the Star Palace.

Both were at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm; one had a thin face, three long strands of beard, and an air of otherworldly grace.

The other was burly, with a square face, wide mouth, and piercing eyes.

As soon as Lu Yan entered the room, all eyes in the room fell on him.

Elder Jinxia was the first to stand up, cupped her hands and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Lu, you've finally arrived."

He paused, looked around, and said with a touch of emotion, "Everyone, this is Fellow Daoist Lu Yan, whom I mentioned earlier. Fellow Daoist Sifa sent a message saying that Fellow Daoist Lu killed two transformed demons in two moves and also caused the Golden Flood Dragon King a great loss. I didn't believe it at first, but now that I've seen him in person, I know it's true."

These words caused an uproar in the hall.

Master Miaohe quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Lu, it's an honor to meet you. I am Miaohe. My disciples offended many people in the market on Qiyuan Island. I hope you will forgive them."

The other Nascent Soul cultivators also rose to pay their respects, their attitudes tinged with curiosity. Killing a transformed demon in two moves? Making the Golden Flood Dragon King suffer a great loss? Such a feat was beyond the comprehension of anyone present.

The Star Palace Elder also stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Fellow Daoist Lu, I have long admired your name. I am Qin Chongxiao of the Star Palace, and this is Junior Brother Wei Jinghong."

Wei Jinghong clasped his hands in greeting, glanced at Lu Yan, and nodded slightly.

Lu Yan returned the greetings one by one, his expression calm, but in his heart he was thinking: With such a grand display, it seems that the Jiao Clan's revenge is stronger than he imagined.

He walked to an empty seat, sat down, and glanced at everyone before asking, "Where is Fellow Daoist Sifa?"

Miao He's eyes darted around, and he stroked his beard, his tone tinged with a hint of probing: "Fellow Daoist Lu, don't you know? Fellow Daoist Sifa was seriously injured. Weren't you all together when you faced the Golden Flood Dragon King?"

Lu Yan frowned slightly and sighed, "We fled in different directions at the time. I was worried about Fellow Daoist Jin Hua's safety, so I went to save him."

Miaohe quickly pressed on, "And what about Fellow Daoist Jinhua?"

Lu Yan shook his head, his tone tinged with regret: "She's already dead. It's a pity that Fellow Daoist Jin Hua's centuries of cultivation have been destroyed in an instant."

He sighed and shook his head repeatedly; anyone who didn't know better would think he had a very deep relationship with the Golden Flower Ancestor.

Elder Jinxia coughed lightly but did not respond.

Qin Chongxiao and Wei Jinghong of the Star Palace exchanged a glance, their expressions subtle.

Miaohe wisely refrained from asking any further questions, simply nodding with a sigh.

Lu Yan put away his regretful expression and said seriously, "Let's not talk about that. What is the situation in the outer seas now? Fellow Daoists, you've gathered here, surely not just for tea."

Elder Jinxia sighed and said with a wry smile, "Fellow Daoist Lu speaks frankly, so I won't beat around the bush either. The Jiaolong Clan and the Suanni Clan are both searching for something, and we humans are caught in the middle, getting attacked from both sides. Fellow Daoist Sifa is seriously injured, and I was also wounded. The various sects in the outer sea have suffered heavy losses. The two fellow Daoists from the Star Palace have come to find out what's going on."

Qin Chongxiao stood up and cupped his hands in greeting to Lu Yan: "Fellow Daoist Lu, I've heard that you fought with the Golden Flood Dragon King and even snatched something from him. Could you tell me what the Flood Dragon Clan is looking for?"

Lu Yan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "I didn't steal it. It was the Golden Flower Ancestor's disciple who first stole the Jiao Clan's things, and then the Golden Flower Ancestor got them."

Before her death, the Golden Flower Ancestor solemnly entrusted that thing to me, saying that it was related to the fate of both the human and demon races, and that I must accept it.

I really couldn't refuse, so I reluctantly refined it. Therefore... I can't take it out now.

The hall fell silent.

Master Miaohe's lips twitched slightly. Elder Jinxia coughed and lowered her head to drink her tea.

Qin Chongxiao's hand, which was stroking his beard, froze in mid-air. Wei Jinghong remained expressionless, but his eye twitched slightly.

I don't believe a single word of it.

What do you mean by "solemnly entrusting something before death"? What do you mean by "really couldn't refuse"? What do you mean by "reluctantly refining it"? Are you kidding me? Isn't it just waiting for the Golden Flower Ancestor to die so you can loot his loot?

It's as if the Golden Flower Ancestor was entrusting her orphan on her deathbed, and it concerns the fate of both the human and demon races? Why don't you say it concerns the survival of the Heavenly Dao?

Those present were all old foxes who had lived for hundreds of years; who among them didn't have a few tricks up their sleeve?

What kind of relationship did you have with the Golden Flower Ancestor that she would entrust her treasure to you before she died? Did you two even know each other?

But no one pointed it out.

Firstly, the item has already been refined, so it's too late to say anything.

Secondly, this Fellow Daoist Lu dared to confront even the Golden Flood Dragon King head-on, killing two transformed demons in two moves. No one present wanted to be the third.

Thirdly, the Jiao clan and the Suanni clan are still eyeing them covetously from the outside; to start an internal conflict at this time would be suicidal.

Elder Jinxia put down her teacup and coughed lightly: "I see. Fellow Daoist Jinhua is very righteous, and Fellow Daoist Lu is very loyal. I... admire them."

Master Miaohe quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, although Fellow Daoist Jinhua has gone, it's fortunate that the treasure didn't fall into the hands of the demon race."

The other Nascent Soul cultivators nodded in agreement, saying polite phrases like "Fellow Daoist Jin Hua is so righteous" and "Fellow Daoist Lu has worked hard," their expressions as sincere as if they were attending a memorial service.

Qin Chongxiao remained silent for a moment before speaking again, "Since the item has already been refined, let's not mention it. The problem now is that the Jiaolong Clan is unaware of this. They believe the item is still in human hands, which is why they launched a large-scale attack. Fellow Daoist Lu, do you have any solutions?"

Lu Yan put down his teacup, his gaze falling on Qin Chongxiao and Wei Jinghong, his tone neither warm nor cold: "As the leader of the human race in the Chaotic Star Sea, what are Xinggong's thoughts on this?"

Qin Chongxiao stroked his beard, cleared his throat, and said solemnly, "The demon race of the outer seas disregarded the agreement made years ago and attacked our human strongholds without authorization. The Star Palace will not tolerate such behavior."

He paused, then raised his voice slightly: "Since its founding, my Star Palace has maintained order in the Chaotic Star Sea for tens of thousands of years, never bowing to any power. If the demon race dares to offend us again, the Star Palace will punish them severely, letting them know that the human race cannot be easily humiliated!"

Wei Jinghong nodded emphatically beside him, his face full of righteousness.

Lu Yan listened expressionlessly, with only one thought in his mind: It sounds nice, but he didn't put in any effort at all.

This is understandable, as the Star Palace Twin Saints have encountered some problems in their cultivation over the years and have not made any public appearances for a long time.

Tianxing City is being held up by only a few Nascent Soul elders, while the righteous and demonic factions in the Inner Sea are stirring and testing the Star Palace's bottom line.

In this situation, it would be a miracle if the Star Palace could stabilize the inner sea; how could it possibly have the capacity to care about the fate of the outer sea?

Sending two Nascent Soul stage elders to investigate the situation was more of a formality than a genuine act of support.

Elder Jinxia was clearly aware of this as well, and a hint of disappointment flashed across her face, but she quickly concealed it and smiled, "The Star Palace is very thoughtful. However, the situation in the outer sea is complicated right now, with both the Jiao Clan and the Suanni Clan launching attacks at the same time. We still need to plan carefully."

Master Miaohe's eyes darted around, and he interjected, "Why don't we first find out what the Suanni clan is looking for? The Jiao clan's problem is because they lost something, but what is the Suanni clan after? They can't just attack human strongholds for no reason, can they?"

Lu Yan picked up his teacup but didn't reply.