"That's not quite it. Though each sect decides for itself, this mortal-world trial does have a nominal lead uncle-master. It's just that everyone considers the mortal trial utterly trivial, so that uncle-master doesn't manage anything—he's only responsible for opening and closing the Primordial Passage, and ordinarily he doesn't show his face at all." Fei Yangsheng thought for a moment before speaking.

"Who is he? What's his cultivation?" Wei Zhao asked.

"He's an uncle-master from the Cangwu Sect of North Island, named Xin Yijie. Word is he's a peak early Golden Core expert, the strongest of everyone in this mortal-world trial. Now that trouble has broken out, he may show himself—but whether he'll actually step forward to take charge, I couldn't say." Fei Yangsheng spoke cautiously.

Better a dead fellow cultivator than a dead self, as the saying went. After all, the Cangwu Sect of North Island had suffered no losses so far; it was their rivals—the Snowsword Sect and the Qiankun Sect—who had taken the hits. Xin Yijie would very likely keep looking the other way. One side waxed while the other waned; if the other sects were all gravely weakened in this mortal-world trial, then in the days to come it would be the Cangwu Sect of North Island alone that dominated.

The Cangwu Sect of North Island? Wei Zhao was startled at the name. What the hell was this? Why did all these Primordial sect names overlap with those of Cloud Terrace Island? The Snowsword Sect earlier he could dismiss—that could be put down to pure coincidence. But now here came another, and it was actually called the Cangwu Sect of North Island!

"Don't tell me the Primordial Alliance also has a Soaring Heavens Sect and a Mystic Mechanism Sect?" Wei Zhao could not help saying, his expression peculiar.

"Why, yes. The three great sects of North Island are of one blood and one branch, and each is a first-rate power in the Primordial Alliance. Many on the Alliance's council of elders are from the three great North Island sects. How would you know of this, Senior?" Fei Yangsheng found it rather strange. In his reckoning, Wei Zhao might be powerful, but he was no more than a mortal-world primal spirit—there was no reason he should know of matters in the Primordial little martial world. After all, the Primordial Passage opened only once every thousand years.

Wei Zhao ignored him, his face now entirely speechless. If this was still coincidence, then his head could be twisted off and kicked around like a ball!

Just moments ago he had been saying the Primordial Alliance were frogs at the bottom of a well, believing Cloud Terrace Island to be a baseless rumor. And now a whole crop of sects sharing Cloud Terrace Island's names had cropped up—including, no less, all three great sects of North Island. Wei Zhao was certain some inevitable connection existed between the two. It was simply that ordinary disciples likely knew nothing of it.

"So if I want to negotiate with the Primordial Alliance, this Xin Yijie you mentioned is the only candidate?" Setting aside the doubts crowding his mind, Wei Zhao returned to the main point.

"Yes. He's the only one in this mortal-world trial who can overawe the other Primordial sects in both standing and strength. If even he can't do it, then no one can." Fei Yangsheng nodded.

"Good. Then go carry a message to him for me. Tell him Wei Zhao, president of the Mortal-World Cultivators' Association, invites him to a meeting—at the Mysterious Investigation Bureau." Wei Zhao said at once.

"This..." Fei Yangsheng immediately shrank back. To the Primordial Alliance he was now a traitor. Though the business at Snowsword Peak had probably not yet spread back, he still felt deeply guilty at heart. Sending him to seek out Xin Yijie and carry a message at a time like this was playing with fire...

"What? You don't want to go?" Wei Zhao's face darkened.

"No, no—whatever you command, Senior, I will do." Fei Yangsheng started in fright and said hurriedly, "But I can only do my utmost and try. I dare not promise I'll be able to see Uncle-Master Xin. I'll only strive to deliver the message as best I can. Shall I go now?"

"Go." Wei Zhao nodded, then added, "Oh, right—while you're over there, ask around about Leng Leng. She may already have returned."

"Yes!" Fei Yangsheng set off at once. Bearing Wei Zhao's divine-sense imprint upon him, he had no choice but to obey whatever Wei Zhao commanded—how would he dare utter half a word of refusal?

The moment Fei Yangsheng left, Ying Ziyu immediately cried out, "Brother Wei Zhao, who's Leng Leng?"

It was not only Ying Ziyu; Qiu Lingshan and the other women were all deeply interested as well. As for Wu Chengtian and the rest, they were all glancing left and right—from the tone of Wei Zhao's words just now, this was surely another new sister-in-law!

"She's someone from the Primordial Alliance I met before. You'll meet her in time." Wei Zhao flushed with embarrassment.

Seeing that Ying Ziyu was about to press further, Wu Chengtian hurried to change the subject and bail Wei Zhao out. "He said that Xin Yijie fellow is a peak early Golden Core expert. Boss, what's your cultivation level now?"

"Foundation Establishment grand completion. The strength of this primal spirit body falls far short of my true body's, and for now it'll likely be hard to raise it further." Wei Zhao said.

"Then doesn't that put you below him?" Everyone could not help worrying. Under Wei Zhao's influence, their understanding of cultivation realms was quite clear. To face an early Golden Core expert with only Foundation Establishment grand completion—that was no ordinary challenge across realms.

"It's difficult, true, but I'm only going to negotiate with him. It won't necessarily come to blows. And even if it does, who wins and who loses is still unknown." Wei Zhao smiled faintly. His primal spirit body's ability to challenge above its realm was a major weakness compared with his true body, yet compared with others it was already considerable. If he truly brought out every trick he had, he might not necessarily lose to an early Golden Core expert.

What worried Wei Zhao somewhat was that, apart from Xin Yijie, the Primordial Alliance might have other, stronger hidden experts—that would be truly troublesome. He could only hope Fei Yangsheng's intelligence was accurate. After all, from an ordinary person's perspective, an early Golden Core expert coming to the mortal world was already a great condescension; anyone stronger would likely scorn to come at all.

On Wei Zhao's side, the group went on with their lively banquet. On the other side, Fei Yangsheng traveled through the night to Shennongjia, pressing on without pause back to the assembly point, and went straight to request an audience with Xin Yijie of the Cangwu Sect of North Island.

In truth, he held little hope for it. The last time Yin Zhiping and Sun Baimei of the Evil-Warding Sect were killed—an affair of such magnitude—Xin Yijie had never shown his face from first to last. It was instead the attention-seeking Xue Jianfeng who had stepped forward. This time, for him, a mere ordinary disciple of the Snowsword Sect, to abruptly request an audience—his chances were truly slim.

Yet unexpectedly, the whole process went surprisingly smoothly, and Fei Yangsheng soon saw Xin Yijie.

"You say you requested an audience with me to report something of great importance. Speak, then—what is it?" Xin Yijie had a private chamber of his own within the mountain gate. Ordinarily he never stepped outside, remaining here to meditate and cultivate. The affairs of the mortal world held no attraction for him, which was why he had behaved so indifferently.

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