Chapter 1239: Chapter 6: Mountain Gate Under New Leadership (Part 2)

Overwhelmed by the aura of the two, he momentarily dared not step forward.

Seeing his appearance, Zhang Yan smiled slightly, saluted from afar, and said: "Is it Sect Leader Chu? I am Mingcang Zhang Yan, greetings."

Chu Daoist snapped out of it, hurriedly returned the courtesy, and spoke with reverence: "No, no, I don’t deserve such a formal salute from a True Master."

Zhang Yan laughed: "I assume my two disciples have already explained my origins to Sect Leader Chu."

"Yes, yes," Chu Daoist carefully replied: "I came specifically to consult True Master Zhang; I don’t know what instructions my master has left behind?"

Zhang Yan said plainly: "My Junior Master Shen entrusted me to come and take charge of Han Yan Cave Mansion. From now on, this Cangzhu Peak will be a separate residence of our Mingcang Sect."

Chu Daoist was momentarily stunned; he hadn’t anticipated that Shen Baishuang would make such arrangements. After a while, he hesitated and asked: "I wonder... I wonder if there is any token to prove it?"

He didn’t doubt Zhang Yan; in fact, after seeing him, he believed his identity about eighty percent. If two Nascent Soul cultivators had any malicious intent towards the Han Yuan Sect, who could stop them? There was no need for such a roundabout approach.

Moreover, being able to be associated with such a grand sect as the Mingcang Sect was something he greatly desired, but he couldn’t hand over the entire sect on just a word.

Zhang Yan smiled: "I was in a hurry to leave, and I have no token. However, I do have a Dharma Treasure given by Junior Master Shen here; I wonder if you recognize it?"

He opened his palm, and a golden light emerged, rising half a foot high, revealing a gold shield resembling a tower, with seven Treasure Beads inside emitting brilliant rays under the daylight.

Upon seeing it, Chu Daoist’s eyes widened, then he exclaimed excitedly: "Indeed, this is the Supreme Treasure that Master carried with him in past years!"

Once confirmed, he no longer hesitated, adjusted his robes, and respectfully bowed to Zhang Yan, saying: "Chu Muran pays respect to the Sect Leader brother; I hope you forgive any previous disrespect."

Having said this, he felt a sense of relief in his heart. Being the Sect Leader was truly an arduous task; he toiled for over two hundred years, painstakingly managing the sect’s affairs, even at the expense of his own cultivation. But now, he could finally lay down this heavy burden.

Zhang Yan stepped forward and helped him up, saying: "No need for such formalities, Junior Brother Chu."

Chu Daoist suddenly remembered something, grabbed Zhang Yan’s sleeve, and pleaded: "I ask the Sect Leader brother to save my Junior Brother Zhao."

Zhang Yan’s gaze slightly tightened, asked: "What happened?"

Chu Daoist recounted the event of his junior brother Zhao Ge being gravely injured by others outside, finally saying: "Junior Brother Zhao is an honest man; he wouldn’t have sought rescue through a Flying Book unless he absolutely couldn’t hold on."

Zhang Yan nodded solemnly, saying: "Since he is a disciple of our Mingcang Sect, it is only right to rescue him. I wonder what Junior Brother Zhao looks like, and where he is now?"

Chu Daoist took out a talisman from his bosom, saying: "This talisman contains a trace of Junior Brother Zhao’s aura, which can help the Sect Leader brother find him."

Zhang Yan took it and then turned to Zhang Boyant, saying: "Daoist Zhang, please make a trip."

Zhang Boyant said nothing more, took the talisman, gave a respectful salute, and then leaped, transforming into a cloud of rolling yellow smoke flying towards the sky.

Seeing that Zhang Yan agreed to help without any reluctance, Chu Daoist gratefully said: "Thank you, Sect Leader brother."

Zhang Yan smiled: "Since we belong to the same lineage, it is fitting. Junior Brother doesn’t need to call me Sect Leader; you may address me as Pavilion Master."

Chu Daoist quickly nodded in agreement, and then said: "This place is not within the territory of our Han Yan Cave, not convenient for conversation; please Pavilion Master move your steps."

Zhang Yan nodded in agreement.

Chu Daoist led the way, guiding the group back to the Cave Mansion, and then instructed a child to serve fragrant tea and rare fruits, saying: "Should the Pavilion Master want to meet the sect’s disciples?"

Zhang Yan smiled and glanced at him, saying: "Very well."

Chu Daoist immediately summoned all the disciples within the sect, including Daoist Wen, to come forward and greet Zhang Yan one by one,

As Zhang Yan took measure of them, he saw there were thirty-seven people in total, of which more than half had not yet opened their meridians. There were only eight Ming Qi disciples, and only three disciples had reached the Xuan Guang Realm. One was the Senior Disciple Lin Xuanchao, who welcomed the Wang Sisters into the sect, another was the female disciple named Jiang Rou, and the last was Shen Baishuang’s separate disciple Gao Zhongyuan.

Shen Baishuang originally accepted over sixty disciples back in the day, but only three attained the Hua Dan Realm; most of the others had passed away from old age, while those remaining had long left the mountain and reincarnated.

Seeing none of these disciples had been initiated into the mountain gate in these decades, Zhang Yan contemplated the possible reasons, gave a few casual comments, and then dismissed the crowd of disciples, turning to Daoist Wen who stayed behind, saying: "Divine House Mountain is the highest point of East Victory Continent, and Cangzhu Peak is the First Peak here. Its summit remains covered in snow year-round; I’ve heard that standing atop it, one can gaze upon the Beimo Sea Realm tens of thousands of miles away. Junior Wen, would you be willing to lead me to view it?"

Junior Wen was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily: "So, Master is a man of refined tastes; please follow little brother."

Zhang Yan smiled and nodded, leaving the Wang Sisters behind, and went out together with Daoist Wen.

After the two left, Chu Daoist’s mood greatly improved compared to before, and he asked the Wang Sisters: "How many disciples does the Pavilion Master have under him?"

Wang Caiwei smiled and said: "Master has seven disciples under him; this time, only my sister and I came along."

Chu Daoist stroked his beard and said: "Both of you have brilliant talents; you must be the Master’s most favored disciples."

At this point, Wang Caiting interjected: "If it’s about talent, we couldn’t possibly compare to our Senior Sister. She has already condensed the True Imprint of Dharma Power, achieving the Third Realm of Hua Dan. Even our Sixth Junior Brother, although he joined much later, has already taken the step into the Hua Dan Realm before us sisters."

Chu Daoist listened and was astounded; just the disciples under Zhang Yan were comparable to his own cultivation level, raising his evaluation even higher, thinking: "With Brother Zhang here, perhaps my Han Yuan Sect can regain its former might."

...

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