They appreciated "Wang Sheng"'s attitude of assuming full responsibility, but that didn't mean they had a short memory, unable to recall the so-called detailed account of events.

In the process of deceit, there was no collective involvement on their part; could "Wang Sheng" deceive Guan Wen alone?

The leaders of the various sects wanted to speak but stopped themselves, feeling it improper to urge "Wang Sheng" to lie to Su Yuan Sect, nor did they want to force him into lying.

There was still over a month left before the Sky Rain Meteor Conference ended. If they incurred the wrath of the Su Yuan Sect because of this matter, it would be very troublesome. Would they kill the chicken to warn the monkey? Perhaps they couldn't make a move in broad daylight, but during task allocation, it might still be possible to put you in danger first.

Not to mention the difficulties they might put you through in the future, just at this moment, if real responsibility had to be taken, could those from Su Yuan Sect sit back and watch their fellow sect members disappear? It would be strange if they didn't force you into the Moon Sea to search for people at risk.

Seeing this situation, Wu Jinliang, who had an unspoken understanding with Shi Chun, knew when to interject, muttering, "Senior brother, what's all this about deceit? It was clearly Guan Wen himself who insisted on entering the Moon Sea to collect Insect Extreme Crystals. We had no choice but to follow his demands, and it's his own fault for what happened to him. What does it have to do with us? You rashly taking responsibility will implicate our sect."

Saying this, he looked back at the leaders of the various sects, "My friends, isn't that right? Why should someone from our sect bear responsibility when someone from another sect dies?"

Those who were put in a difficult position by "Wang Sheng"'s honesty suddenly saw a different point of view from "Wang Sheng"'s sect mates and had a moment of realization.

"Indeed, there wasn't any trickery. He commanded to enter the Moon Sea in search of Insect Extreme Crystals. It doesn't make sense if everyone else entered but he didn't."

"Exactly, the Insect Extreme Crystals we have are the best evidence. Without his orders, who would dare to venture into the Moon Sea and take such a risk?"

"Everyone knows the dangers of the Moon Sea. He was obstinate, and we couldn't stop him."

"All of us went in, we all faced the same dangers. It's just a matter of who had bad luck and who didn't. We're all fine, who knows what obstinate thing he did in there."

"Brother Wang, if you don't think for yourself, you must think of the sect."

Amid the clamor, it was evident that the crowd's attitude had shifted.

Wu Jinliang, visibly frustrated with them, retorted, "The reason my senior brother is owning up is because you all pressured him. You all witnessed what happened. Would it be okay if he didn't give an honest account?"

If that was the case, then things were easier to handle, as long as "Wang Sheng" wasn't too honest himself.

Chu Jingtang immediately responded, "Brother Wang, about this matter, as long as you don't say anything wrong, we definitely won't either. Right, everyone?"

"Yeah, who doesn't face dangers when competing? Life and death are sometimes a matter of fate; who can we blame?"

"No, we can't be blamed for it. We were all on the same side, and none of us wanted anything bad to happen to him."

Seeing the group's righteous indignation, Wu Jinliang curled his lips slightly, finding this bunch rather on point, which saved him the trouble of talking in circles.

Finally, Shi Chun, who had been silent, spoke up again, "If Guan Wen really doesn't come back and if Su Yuan Sect really starts asking questions, what should I say?"

"What else can you say? Just tell the truth. As soon as we arrived, there was a shower of Insect Extreme Crystals, the falling point was too close, and Guan Wen got excited. He ordered us to search, and in the end, he was the only one who didn't come back. What could we do?"

"Exactly, don't mention any unnecessary details. Just keep it simple and to the point."

"Right, no one wanted to harm him. Bringing up unnecessary matters might harm the unity of the Xuan State forces. The most important thing is for Xuan State to win."

Under the many suggestions, a consensus was reached on the whole event—the appearance of the Insect Extreme Crystal meteor shower led to Guan Wen taking everyone into the Moon Sea, and then Guan Wen disappeared.

These were merely suggestions, but in reality, it was about unifying their story to deal with the Su Yuan Sect.

In the end, Shi Chun was persuaded by them and reluctantly agreed, even though he seemed to have a lot on his mind.

And so, the matter was settled. The leaders turned around and gave further instructions to their own sects.

Once confirmed, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, but seeing Shi Chun's preoccupied look still made some of them worry.

Someone quietly pulled Wu Jinliang aside to advise, "Keep a close watch on your senior brother, talk to him more, and don't let him do anything stupid. We can deny some things we say among ourselves, but for the sake of allowing Su Yuan Sect to take first place, the sects of Xuan State have already lost hundreds. What's so bad about Su Yuan Sect losing a few people? Gao Qiang my brother, you are right; if not for yourself, at least think of the sect."

Wu Jinliang nodded, "Understood, rest assured. With me here, I won't let him mess up."

The man patted his shoulder, walking away with a look of satisfaction.

The group didn't seek a hidden place but collectively sat waiting at the edge of a cliff.

There was no choice; they wanted to get in touch with the Su Yuan Sect, but because none of the sects wanted to separate from their sect members before, there was no linked talisman between this group and the Su Yuan Sect.

This was beyond Shi Chun's expectations. He had to admit his amazement at their actions or lack thereof in terms of preparation, which demonstrated the arrogance of the people from Su Yuan Sect.

Not only was there no contact with the Su Yuan Sect side, but also the thousand or so people previously dispersed around the Moon Sea had lost contact without Guan Wen to lead them.

They didn't send anyone to contact the Su Yuan Sect side since the journey was long, and the Su Yuan Sect would naturally send someone if they found out there was no contact from here. Perhaps they were already on their way.

The group remained seated until daylight, and still, Guan Wen did not reappear. They had essentially concluded that he was truly gone…

As the night fell over the capital, the best viewing platform of the drill ground saw the hurried arrival of the Xuan State Domain Master, Lord Chi Rang, who had brought someone who shouldn't have been there.

A handsome, clean-shaven middle-aged man in white, with three strands of beard denoting his dignity, the elder Ji Qinghe of Su Yuan Sect.

Clearly, the Su Yuan Sect had already alarmed the Xuan State Domain Master because of Guan Wen's affair.

They didn't want to make a big deal out of a small issue, so before they approached the Xuan State Domain Master, they first sought out a well-positioned Su Yuan Sect Disciple in the Royal Court, hoping to ask for a backdoor favor, to let the overseers on the West Pole's side get in touch with the sect's participating disciples and see what the situation was.

The high-ranking Disciple did indeed find someone, only to discover that this year's Sky Rain Meteor Conference seemed somewhat unusual, controlled with unusually strict regulations, making it very difficult for external powers to interfere.

Several disciples from the sect who held significant weight either in the Immortal Court or the Royal Court tried their luck, but none succeeded.

After their efforts proved futile, they had no choice but to follow the official channels, asking Ji Qinghe to seek help from the Xuan State Domain Master, Chi Rang.

Chi Rang had actually been alerted to the situation quite early on.

He also told them to drop any idea of using illicit methods, instructing them to play it straight at this Sky Rain Meteor Conference, to wait for daylight on the West Pole before discussing further, as there was no use in rushing; the Heavenly Mirror wouldn't be able to clearly reveal anything at night.

So, as soon as dawn broke, they arrived.

After all, Chi Rang cared quite deeply about the Su Yuan Sect's situation, not solely because of the sect's reputation, but because the sect's concerns might be valid—could there be an ominous sign emerging during the competition?

Xuan State's victory still relied on the Su Yuan Sect's unity, and he did not wish to end up washing someone else's dirty linen.

Once Chi Rang arrived, the person in charge also received the message and appeared quickly.

Chi Rang, watching the light screen, ordered directly, "Find Yang Wu, I want to see this person now."

The person in charge bowed slightly and asked, "Who might that be?"

Such a minor figure, whom Chi Rang did not remember very clearly in the absence of anything striking, glanced at Ji Qinghe for help.

Ji Qinghe promptly said, "Su Yuan Sect Three, Guan Wen."

After noting it down, the person in charge quickly found someone to pass on the instructions.

Shortly thereafter, an uproar arose within the grounds.

There seemed to be a problem with the image in the Heavenly Mirror; it was as if a still lake surface had suddenly been ruffled by the wind, blurring everything.

This was the first time such a situation had occurred, surprising not just those in the grounds but also Chi Rang and the others in the stands.

Almost immediately, the messenger sent out returned urgently and reported something to the person in charge, who came forward quickly to relay the message, "Lord Chi, Yang Wu, the person in charge, has informed you that the Heavenly Mirror cannot make out that person's condition, and the Ultimate Mountain and River Map cannot pinpoint that person's location either. The one you are looking for seems to have ventured into the Moon Sea."

"Moon Sea?" Chi Rang muttered to himself, turning to look at Ji Qinghe, "Is that place not a Forbidden Land? Is he illiterate, or are you encouraging them to take risks?"

Ji Qinghe shook his head, "We wouldn't make them take such a risk, it's needless."

Chi Rang raised his hand to stop him, "Report the names of the others as well, let's take a look at them all."

Ji Qinghe immediately provided the person in charge with the names of Mulan Qingqing and the others, though it was somewhat redundant—to speak of Su Yuan Sect members was enough to inform the other side.

Just as the instructions were passed down, another individual arrived on the scene—it was none other than Life Continent Domain Master Wei Mo.

He and Lord Chi were quite close, meeting often for social occasions. Hearing that Lord Chi had come here, Wei Mo also came to see what was happening.

"Lord Wei." Ji Qinghe greeted with a bow.

They were acquainted; Wei Mo nodded slightly in greeting, somewhat surprised to see him here, realizing that Lord Chi's presence might mean trouble for the Su Yuan Sect. He also noticed the anomaly on the screen and turned to ask the person in charge, "What's that about?"

The person in charge hesitated to reveal too much, casting a cautious glance at Chi Rang's reaction.

Wei Mo immediately reprimanded, "Mind your own business; just answer the question."

Seeing no objection from Chi Rang, the person in charge then succinctly explained the situation.

When Wei Mo heard it, he couldn't help but laugh, "To think they ventured into the Moon Sea—a classic case of the Su Yuan Sect Disciples biting off more than they can chew!"

Ji Qinghe maintained a polite smile, remaining quiet.

Next, the image switched to show a new scene: it was Mulan Qingqing and her group from the Su Yuan Sect. Though it wasn't fully light out yet, the few individuals were still visible.

Yan Ji, Guann Yingjie, Chao Zhilin—they were all there, standing atop a mountain discussing something. In the end, Mulan Qingqing took out a metal pine cone from her pocket and handed it to Yan Ji.

Those who knew their treasures could tell at a glance that this was the flight Magical Treasure "Wind Scale."

Ji Qinghe was even more aware of this; before these five disciples had attended the conference, the Su Yuan Sect had provided them with two "Wind Scales" for use, and seeing Mulan Qingqing use the team leader's Wind Scale, he guessed that the other one was probably with Guan Wen.

What on earth was going on? They did not seem in danger by the looks of it.

In the image, Yan Ji activated the Wind Scale Magical Treasure, soaring into the sky, to the admiration of many sects present in the grounds. While many sects across the entire Shengshen Continent had only one or two such treasures in total, here it was, a personal possession of Su Yuan Sect Disciples.

Mulan Qingqing and the others remained still for a long time as Yan Ji's figure disappeared from the screen.

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