Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 120 - 119: Leave... or Die!

The Historian stepped forward, presenting an investigation document stamped with a seal.

The other party’s expression changed slightly, "So you are from the Immortal Alliance. I am Zhang Zhi, forgive me for not welcoming you from afar."

Chen Xuan couldn’t be bothered with small talk, "Where is your Sect Leader? I have questions for him."

"Sect Leader Zhang is not here. Two days ago, he took all the disciples down the mountain to observe the upcoming Sect competition."

"Then who else is here? Is Qingge Sect really leaving just you alone?"

"Yes, I am the disciple tasked with guarding the mountain, responsible for watching over the Sect during this period."

"This..." Hongli showed a troubled expression and whispered to Chen Xuan, "How did I forget this? Even if they didn’t apply to compete, they could still spectate. What do we do now?"

On the other hand, Mo Shuyun casually remarked, "But we’ve walked a long way to get here. As the mountain guard disciple, isn’t it unreasonable not to invite us in for some tea?"

"Uh..." Zhang Zhi immediately displayed a look of resistance, "There are no seniors in the Sect, and the storeroom is unkempt..."

"How do we know there’s really no one else in the Sect?" Mo Shuyun suddenly rebuked, "This is an Immortal Alliance investigation, not a guest visit. How can a mere gatekeeper Cultivator stop us?"

Chen Xuan gave him a surprised glance.

Actually, as soon as they reached the stone bridge, he had already scanned the area with Celestial Mist Skill and found that Qingge Sect indeed only had one Qi Sensing reaction; there was no lie about the number of people.

However, it would be best if they could enter the Sect; if Jiu’s master really had been brought here, at least the witch’s Spirit Dog could sniff around.

Zhang Zhi was stunned by the scolding; it took him a moment before stiffly saying, "Well... follow me, please."

Mo Shuyun smirked, twirling a fan in his hand to the crowd.

Chen Xuan rolled his eyes silently, wondering if this guy intended to overshadow him in the investigation instead of just causing trouble.

The question was, this isn’t an arena. Who are you trying to impress? Historian Hongli?

He’s a person of the Ascension Platform; he would never praise a Celestial Derivation Tower Cultivator outside.

The group crossed the stone bridge with splattering water, following Zhang Zhi into a somewhat cool tower—it was quite an achievement for a building on a mountain to have a hundred square feet per floor. Its structure was simple, similar to the Moon Gazing Tower, with a high-ceilinged hall in the center surrounded by various rooms, and the only difference being that it had no elevator, just a spiral staircase connecting the floors.

The place indeed didn’t look like it was inhabited; the candles in the holders were all black, the only light coming from the high windows facing the waterfall. Other than the sound of water and their footsteps on the stone floor, there was no other sound.

"See, I wasn’t lying; there’s indeed no one in the Sect..." Zhang Zhi said with a smile.

"Where’s the tea?" Mo Shuyun interrupted immediately.

Zhang Zhi hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying, "Please wait here; I’ll go to the storeroom to boil water."

After Zhang Zhi left, Mo Shuyun shrugged at Chen Xuan, "We’ve made it in, but it seems he wasn’t lying either. Now all we can do is finish the tea and return to Chang’an."

But Chen Xuan countered, "Don’t you think this place is too old?"

"Old? What do you mean?" the other party asked, puzzled.

He didn’t answer directly but walked to a candlestick and touched the copper stand. Then he faced the white light above and blew on his fingers. Instantly, a large amount of dust appeared in the light.

Others might not see clearly, but the Divine Eye Technique, with its low-light vision, allowed Chen Xuan to look into the room’s details even in such a dim environment—for instance, the dust was too much, not typical for a frequently traversed place.

If it were a warehouse or storage room, it would be understandable.

But this was the main hall connected to the entrance.

Qingge Sect’s disciples had only left two days ago. There couldn’t possibly be this much dust in such a short time.

"Dust?" Mo Shuyun said, surprised. "They don’t even clean the main hall properly? In the Celestial Derivation Tower, lazy workers like that would be skinned twice over."

"It’s not just the candlestick." Chen Xuan shook his head. He could see the fine cobwebs on the high window edges, the moss creeping in from the water spray, and the cracks forming on the wooden table. These unusual signs made him alert, "Spread out and see if you find anything suspicious nearby."

He then turned to Marina, "Have the Spirit Dog scout the stairs to see if it finds anything."

"Leave it to me." The witch walked quietly into a dark area, summoning the Spirit Dog to start searching.

Most of the doors were locked; on the first floor, only two doors could be opened, one leading to the side yard storeroom and the other to the Meditation Room.

From the second floor up, it’s basically the disciples’ quarters.

They split up to search, and aside from the dust, they found nothing unusual. The dust was mainly around the entrance; the rooms were better maintained, as if someone frequently cleaned them.

Then the Spirit Dog growled quietly at a wall next to the Meditation Room.

"There’s something wrong here," Marina said decisively. "It says the scent is off."

Scent off? Chen Xuan sniffed, feeling nothing unusual, then moved closer to the wall for a closer look, discovering that the color of these stones differed slightly from those around them.

"Come take a look. Isn’t this wall newly built?" he called to the others.

Mo Shuyun was the first to draw near. He glanced at the translucent Spirit Dog on the ground, surprised, and asked, "Where did this dog come from?"

"Never mind that," Chen Xuan dismissed his curiosity. "I think there’s something wrong with this wall."

Summoning Spiritual Objects or creating puppets counts as an ultimate skill within the Immortal Alliance. Although such a lifelike dog was rare, Mo Shuyun did not pursue it further due to his pride as a talented figure. "Alright, I do feel a draft, very faint, as if it’s coming from inside the wall."

"So, there was originally a door here, perhaps sealed by Qingge Sect for some reason?"

"Perhaps. Such modifications aren’t uncommon in Sects," Mo Shuyun said noncommittally. "And I see the bricks have some age. The person you’re looking for is certainly not behind that wall."

"What are you doing?!" A sudden cry came from behind, echoing through the tower, "Get away from there!"

Chen Xuan turned back, seeing it was Zhang Zhi who had returned with the tea. He held a teapot with both hands, glaring fiercely at the two, lips trembling as if muttering something amidst his scream.

"...I need to correct my previous assumption. There’s definitely something here now," Mo Shuyun sighed first and then looked oddly at his hand, "Hey... don’t you feel hot?"

It was a freshly boiled pot of tea, its spout and top still steaming. Yet Zhang Zhi held the pot body tightly with both hands as if indifferent to its temperature.

Chen Xuan realized something was amiss. This person had been acting rigidly; before the investigation team even reached the Sect gate, he was already waiting at the entrance, as if prepared to welcome visitors at any moment. The problem was that Qingge Sect was a small Sect, rarely visited by Cultivators in a year, needing no constant gatekeeper.

With the Sect Leader and other disciples away, a normal person would definitely slack off.

"Get away now, quickly! This is your final warning!" Zhang Zhi ground out between his teeth, his earlier humility entirely replaced by a menacing face, "Otherwise... you will all..."

"Otherwise what?" Mo Shuyun laughed in disbelief, "A mere beginner Cultivator ordering around representatives of the Immortal Alliance? Sect Leader Chen, even if you don’t punish him, I must reprimand him for not knowing his place..."

With that, he put away his fan, ready to teach a lesson.

But Chen Xuan reached out to stop him, "You, go protect the Historian. Marina, step back and stay safe."

Under the perception of Celestial Mist Skill, he noticed the Qi from Zhang Zhi was changing. The originally dull point of light was becoming brighter and splitting into two...

This scene seemed familiar.

"Sect Leader Chen, this person has merely just joined; there’s no need—" Mo Shuyun suddenly halted midway because he saw Zhang Zhi bending down, his spine protruding continuously, and another set of hands and body emerging from it!