Chapter 294 - 292: Ming Church Alliance
After entering Ping Province, Chen Yuan traveled west, heading straight for the renowned Yanbo Lake.
Yanbo Lake was a large lake in Ping Province, shrouded in mist year-round due to the climate, resembling a celestial wonderland of clouds and fog.
When the sun rose high, its light would filter through the layers of mist, casting a strange, silvery-white glow across the entire lake, making the scenery even more magnificent and beautiful.
Chen Yuan stood by the shore, admiring the view for a moment. Then, following the instructions from the secret letter, he formed a seal with his hands. In an instant, his Celestial Fire began to surge.
A moment later, the mist over the lake parted, and a small, black boat sped out from the center. Mr. Bei stood on it, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Get on!"
At Mr. Bei’s call, Chen Yuan immediately leaped onto the boat.
"Is our alliance meeting this time on one of the islands in Yanbo Lake?"
Chen Yuan asked, looking around.
Yanbo Lake was vast, and there were indeed many islands at its center.
"Not on the lake, but under it."
Mr. Bei propelled the boat with his True Qi, parting the mist as they headed straight for the center of the lake. He then formed a seal, and a radiant light from an array emerged from beneath the water.
Because the sunlight filtering through the mist already cast a strange glow, the shining light of the array was surprisingly inconspicuous.
But the lake’s surface was split in two by a mystical force, revealing a massive passage below.
Mr. Bei led the way, leaping into the passage with Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan glanced around. The space beneath Yanbo Lake was immense, and the walls of the passage were inscribed with exquisite patterns. It was clear that the Ming Sect had invested a great deal of effort into building this place.
"This place was once one of the Ming Sect’s secret branches. But after the sect fell, it was abandoned.
We were only able to reopen it after Vice Sect Master Lu returned."
The deeper they went, the more auras Chen Yuan could sense. He could also faintly hear voices, and it sounded like there were quite a few people.
"Are there a lot of people from the Ming Sect at this meeting?"
Mr. Bei nodded. "All three Vice Sect Leaders are here, as are all of our members at the Hall Master level.
From the Five Elements Hall, we have the Cyan Wood, Profound Gold, and Houtu Halls, plus you, the successor of the Celestial Fire Hall.
Four of the Seven Stars Hall remain: Kaiyang, Dubhe, Merak, and Yao Guang.
Four of the Ten Great Battle Halls also remain: Ling Yun, Rakshasa, Yaksha, and Flying Shadow.
And three of the Six Major Auxiliary Halls are still with us: the Pharmacist Hall, the Thousand Mechanisms Hall, and the Celestial Soldier Hall."
Chen Yuan was stunned.
’Damn,’ he thought. ’Just counting the Grandmasters at the Divine Platform Realm, there are more than ten of them gathered here. Am I really that important?’
Mr. Bei seemed to read Chen Yuan’s mind and couldn’t help but laugh. "What are you thinking? How could so many people mobilize just for a junior Martial Artist like you? It would make more sense if Pang Xizhen, the founder of your Celestial Fire Hall, were resurrected.
The reason so many people came to this Ming Church Alliance meeting is simply that the sect hasn’t held a full assembly in several years.
For safety, our members are scattered throughout the Jianghu, and we all keep in touch through small-scale contact.
However, this has also led to a lack of cohesion in the sect. Some new disciples, like yourself, don’t even recognize all the senior members.
If this goes on for too long, the Ming Sect could truly begin to fracture. That’s why we need to hold a major alliance meeting every so often.
Even without your situation, the Ming Church Alliance meeting would have been held within the next few months anyway.
It just so happens that Liu Bai recently obtained the Sun-piercing Sword, and we also need to discuss giving you the opportunity Sect Leader Qin left in the Heaven-Reaching Tower. So, Vice Sect Master Lu decided to hold the alliance meeting now and discuss all these matters at once."
Chen Yuan nodded in understanding.
’That explains it,’ he thought. ’I knew I wasn’t that important.’
As they spoke, the two entered the underground space.
The entire underground area was vast. A great hall had been constructed at the bottom of the lake.
Inside the hall, tables and chairs were arranged in a circle, but only about twenty people were seated. Another two to three hundred people stood behind them.
This was not the full strength of the Ming Sect, but rather the individuals at the Hall Master level, along with many young Martial Artists who had recently joined.
As for the peripheral forces of the Ming Sect, they were not qualified to attend the Ming Church Alliance meeting.
The moment Mr. Bei led Chen Yuan into the great hall, he attracted numerous gazes.
Some were curious, some were appraising, and some were indifferent. But to Chen Yuan’s surprise, he also felt a few gazes filled with malice, which made him frown slightly.
The people he knew within the Ming Sect were all from Mr. Bei’s faction, and their cooperation had been going well.
’Forget about offending them,’ he thought, ’I’ve never even met these other people. Why would they look at me like that?’
However, Chen Yuan didn’t dwell on it.
Although the Ming Sect had declined, it still had many disciples. It was normal for there to be internal conflicts, even if they could present a united front to outsiders. Someone probably just didn’t like the look of him.
Mr. Bei led Chen Yuan to an old man.
The old man’s hair and beard were completely white, but his features were upright and proper, his profile sharp, and his eyes as deep as stars.
Even in old age, one could still see the handsome, sword-browed, star-eyed man he must have been in his youth.
Most importantly, there was his aura. Chen Yuan could tell with a single glance that the aura of the old man before him was like a vast ocean or a deep abyss—so powerful its depths were unfathomable.
Chen Yuan had met several Ninth Realm Celestial Profound experts, but neither Guan Tianming, who cultivated Evil Techniques, nor the contemporary tyrant Zhi Shilang could compare to this old man in terms of aura.
"This is our Ming Sect’s Vice Sect Leader, Lord Lu Beiming," Mr. Bei introduced from the side.
Chen Yuan quickly stepped forward and bowed. "Disciple greets Vice Sect Master Lu."
Lu Beiming smiled, his expression kind and benevolent, giving the impression of a good-tempered man.
"Excellent, excellent. The Ming Sect now has another astonishingly talented young hero, and the legacy of the Celestial Fire Hall has returned. This is truly a double blessing."
Next, Mr. Bei introduced Chen Yuan to the other two Vice Sect Leaders.
One of them appeared to be in his fifties. He was tall and thin with a hawkish nose and tiger-like eyes. His features were somewhat long and strange, and his aura was incredibly sharp. This was Vice Sect Leader ’Dragon Slayer Hand’ Yuan Longxi.
The other was a stunningly beautiful woman who looked to be in her thirties. She wore a long, deep-blue palace gown, her figure tall and curvaceous. Her beauty was refined and exquisite, but it was an otherworldly kind of beauty, like that of a celestial fairy, creating a sense of distance.
She was the Ming Sect’s youngest Vice Sect Leader, ’Guanghan Profound Lady’ Tantai Zhaorong.
"Disciple greets Vice Sect Leader Yuan, Vice Sect Leader Tantai."
Chen Yuan stepped forward and bowed to each of them in turn.
Tantai Zhaorong merely gave a slight nod without saying a word.
Yuan Longxi smiled, but the way his lips stretched made the expression seem slightly odd. "Not bad, not bad at all. Since you’ve obtained the legacy of the Celestial Fire Hall, you must remember to train more successors for our Ming Sect, lest the Celestial Fire Hall’s inheritance be lost again."
Chen Yuan cupped his hands, stepped back, and lowered his head, observing the scene in the hall.
Although Tantai Zhaorong’s attitude toward him had been extremely cold, Chen Yuan could sense that she bore him no ill will; it was simply her nature.
’On the other hand, Yuan Longxi’s attitude was strange. What did he mean by telling me to train more disciples?’
’Even though I have the Celestial Fire Hall’s legacy, I’m only at the Condensing Truth Realm. I haven’t even reached Great Success in the Celestial Fire Secret Manual myself, so how am I qualified to teach disciples?’
Moreover, Chen Yuan had also noticed something interesting about the seating arrangement.
Since the Ming Sect had no Sect Leader, there was no seat of honor. Even the tables and chairs were arranged in a circle, signifying that the three Vice Sect Leaders were equals, though Lu Beiming held a slight advantage in seniority.
As for the other Hall Masters, however, their seats were faintly divided into three groups, subconsciously representing their allegiances.
For example, on Lu Beiming’s side, the seats for Mr. Bei and Wan Guiyuan were next to him, but there was also one empty seat, which should have been for the Hall Master of the Houtu Hall.
"You noticed?"
Mr. Bei’s voice suddenly echoed in Chen Yuan’s mind. He was taken aback for a moment, seeing that Mr. Bei hadn’t moved his head or released the slightest bit of True Qi.
"This is a Divine Soul Secret Technique. There are too many people here; a True Qi voice transmission wouldn’t go unnoticed by these experts. Just meditate on what you want to say with your Spiritual Power, and I’ll be able to hear you."
Chen Yuan found it strange. This was an exclusive ability of Divine Platform Realm Martial Artists.
Only upon reaching the Eighth Realm Divine Platform could one develop Primordial Spirit Power, perceive the existence of the Divine Soul, and use such techniques.
"I did notice. So, does this seating arrangement represent the factions within our Ming Sect?"
"More or less. Vice Sect Leader Yuan Longxi has the Profound Gold, Merak, Rakshasa, and Yaksha Halls under him.
Vice Sect Leader Tantai Zhaorong has the Kaiyang, Yao Guang, Ling Yun, and Flying Shadow Halls.
As for the three major auxiliary halls—the Pharmacist Hall, Thousand Mechanisms Hall, and Celestial Soldier Hall—they remain neutral because their combat strength is not significant. Their main role is to provide logistical support for the sect."
Chen Yuan found it odd. "Vice Sect Master Lu was a core senior member of our Ming Sect five hundred years ago, a great figure renowned throughout the Jianghu. Why does he only have the Cyan Wood, Houtu, and Dubhe Halls under his command? That’s fewer than the other two Vice Sect Leaders."
Chen Yuan had noticed earlier while observing that the hall was faintly divided into three camps. Lu Beiming’s side had the fewest people, with only thirty-some members.
By the number of Hall Masters, the others each controlled four halls. Lu Beiming was clearly the most senior, yet he only controlled three.
Mr. Bei snorted softly. "Having more halls proves nothing. Our Ming Sect has always valued quality over quantity.
Among the halls of our Ming Sect, the Five Elements Hall is held in the highest esteem. The Cultivation Techniques they inherit are all Dharma Gates that can cultivate the Power of Origin.
Next is the Seven Stars Hall. Their Cultivation Techniques each have unique characteristics. If cultivated to the absolute peak, their combat strength can just about match that of the Five Elements Hall.
As for the Ten Great Battle Halls... to put it bluntly, five hundred years ago, they were just ordinary sect members who did all the dirty work. Their Cultivation Techniques are rather common, with limited potential.
Vice Sect Master Lu controls two of the Five Elements Halls and one Seven Stars Hall, which is by no means weak. And once you, the successor of the Celestial Fire Hall, have grown, our strength will be even greater."