Cheng Yuan whose sword was already drawn started to do a detailed search of the area with his spiritual sense. His expression grew tenser by the second.
"I can't detect anyone close by, what about you Wen Chang?" Cheng Yuan quickly asked as they shrank their formation and made it tightly knit.
"I h.a.v.e.n.t e.i.t.h.e.r," Wen Chang's raspy voice sounded. When they left the Order she did not have the voice transmission ball the Order lent her therefore she could only go back to using the cheap voice transmission bead the sect had bought her.
Due to its degraded quality, it made her voice sound like her voice chord had been filled with dry sand.
Cheng Yuan made a silent note to upgrade her voice transmission bead. It was up the priority list of must-do things before he went into seclusion but first they had to determine the situation at hand.
"Can you detect anything past this fog?" Peng Zhen asked as he stared at the white misty fog that surrounded what was once his hall. The fog wasn't spread anywhere else beyond the hall where he had left the rest of his sect members passed out from the altered poison fog he had used on them.
But now not a single inch of the hall could be seen.
"I can't detect anything. Every time I try to use my spiritual sense on the fog the only thing I detect is an endless fog and the longer my sense is in contact with the fog the hazier it gets almost as if its being sapped of strength," Cheng Yuan said as he withdrew his spiritual sense.
Just as they were debating on what other means to try, the fog dissipated by itself revealing Peng Zhen's hall and the already awake sect members who were now outside. By the look of things, they seemed to have been trying to break through the fog. Their weapons were drawn with evidence of attack marks all over.
"Sect master, vice sect master Peng you're here already..was the fog your doing Peng?" an elderly man with white hair, and an equally white long beard that reached his chest with a rich herb smell on him quickly stepped out from the crowd that just came out of Peng Zhen's hall.
"Hu Qiu I'm glad you're okay for a second there I didn't know what to think when I saw that white fog," said Peng Zhen.
"So it wasn't you?" Hu Qiu asked with a dumbfounded look as he stared around.
"It looks like a temporary formation was placed here by someone and by the look of things the materials were pretty expensive. Just these formation flags themselves are made of high-ranked sky-grade materials. It looks like the formation collapsed on its own because the spirit stone used to power it drained," said another elder from the crowd.
In his hand, he held a small pristine white formation flag that looked like it was made of pure ice. He had a fanatical gaze as he scrutinized the flag from top to bottom over and over.
"It must have been Inquisitor Feng Xin's doing then," Peng Zhen quickly said the moment he heard the elder's deductions. Seeing that the formation didn't attack the other sect members despite their attempts at breaking it, he surmised the array's intention was isolation and protection instead of attack.
Based on those clues and the quality of the materials used and the time that had passed since he left the peak only Feng Xin who must have passed by the sect in search of him could fit the bill.
A look of relief washed over Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan once they came to that conclusion. It had been a rather tense day especially with old enemies resurfacing and potentially coming after them.
"It seems things went well and Hao Ye…," said Hu Qiu as a complicated look flashed in his eyes. It was one of relief, sorrow, and regret.
"He and Jia Tingfeng died at Dong Yanlin's hands. There is a lot we need to talk about and it can't wait," Peng Zhen said as he glanced at Cheng Yuan who nodded back in agreement.
"Everyone kindly head back to your quarters. I will be holding an all-sect assembly in a few days. Elder Shu Yun kindly take charge for the moment and ensure that the sect is on high alert and closely patrol the sect ground boundaries and the main entrance.
At the slightest sign of disturbance make sure to release the distress talisman. Grab a couple of the inner elders, chief disciples, and outer core elders to make the rounds with you. Also Wen Chang please help her. My mind will be at ease with you helping her," Cheng Yuan said as he addressed a young lady who looked to be in her late 30s wearing the green and black robe worn by elders of the green fog swamp sect.
"All core elders are to come with me to my peak immediately for an emergency meeting.
Shi Rong, you will also be coming along as there are a few things you need to be aware of," said Cheng Yuan as he addressed the platinum white silver-haired youth with yellow eyes and thin scholarly build, and an ordinary look.
…..
A few minutes later in the sect master's meeting hall.
A group of fifteen people was currently seated in lotus positions with a large round table made of a white silver juniper tree at the center.
Of the fifteen members, the majority were old elders with only four being young with Shi Rong being the youngest. But none of the elders present looked down on the four young people in the meeting as they all had the qualifications to be there as core elders. The requirement of being a core elder in the green fog swamp sect was to have a cultivation base that was at least in the ninth stage of the foundation establishment realm.
The only exception was Shi Rong who was at the sixth stage of the foundation establishment realm. However, his current achievements had well earned him a seat with the rest of them. Though he was currently seated behind Peng Zhen and Cheng Yuan. He knew though he was invited his part was to listen.
"I will start with the good news first before we get to the graver matters," said Cheng Yuan to start off the meeting.
"First, Wen Chang has made a qualitative improvement in her cultivation as you have all noticed with her current look. She has agreed to cooperate with the sect in supplying the emerald milk.
Elder Mo Ying you will work with her and use the proceeds from the milk sale to clear some of the debts we have while leaving some for the young cultivators' sect nurturing program. Also, you will use a part of the funds to purchase low-rank sky-grade herbs for Wen Chang while we also try to grow our own.
Elder Hu Qiu, I will need your assistance on the herb growth matter.
I will also be going into seclusion for quite some time as I made a bit of a harvest. In my absence Peng Zhen will handle all matters though he too will occasionally be absent so Hu Qiu you will have to leave some of your affairs in the alchemy division to someone else as you handle the sect affairs from time to time," Cheng Yuan rapidly said as Elder Hu Qiu the head of the alchemy division and Elder Mo Ying the head of the logistics division both nodded.
"Now to graver matters. The tupelo tree will be undergoing a metamorphism hibernation and will thus be out of commission for an indefinite time. We will have to monitor the sect constantly for any miasma leakages without its purifying dome present.
The next two matters are much graver so you need to prepare yourselves," said Cheng Yuan as he paused to eye every member present. The mood turned somber with beads of sweat flowing down a few elders' faces.
"The black cosmos caiman who we all know as one of the false kings just had a fight with another powerful spirit beast in this zone. It's unknown who won but both Peng and I are going on the assumption that the bastard survived and possibly won.
If things go as we have guessed we are more likely its target due to the feud we have from back then when it ate our junior sister Kang Mei and clashed against our master, the previous sect leader Tang Shanyuan.
Our master managed to severely injure it but not without paying a price himself that led to his death when he later succumbed to his wounds.
I don't know how long we have but you all need to work under the assumption it may strike at any moment.
Peng and I will be the ones to face it though it's extremely cunning so we don't know what moves it may pull. It may lead other spirit beasts over. You all need to ensure you guide the young ones below you with much more intensity while still working on your own cultivations.
The treasury will be opened to you all including the sect master's private vault. That together with the emerald milk should help us rapidly improve," just as Cheng Yuan was about to continue, Peng Zhen raised his hand to interject.
"In addition to what the sect master has said, I will also be guiding all elders in specialized combat training. So be prepared, that includes you too Shi Rong," Peng Zhen calmly said.
For some reason, everyone seemed more terrified of Peng Zhen's news than the one about the possible attack from the black cosmos caiman.
"As for the last matter well I think it's better Peng Zhen explains it," Cheng Yuan said as he passed the floor to Peng Zhen.
