Yet perhaps it was merely an illusion on Xu Bai's part. That chilling menace vanished in a flash, and when he looked again an instant later, the man's face held the exact same enthusiasm as before.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just never expected your Taiyan Sect to still possess so many Dao Integration cultivators. I was merely caught off guard, that's all." Xu Bai feigned an expression of deep shock.
"As expected of a sect renowned since ancient times—such profound heritage is truly beyond imagination," Xu Bai praised admiringly.
Everyone loves flattery. The moment these words were spoken, not only did the cultivators leading the way beam, but even the idle figures by the roadside cast approving glances their way.
Yet this only further confirmed the Taiyan Sect's abnormality to Xu Bai and Fang Zaiji. Because every single one of them had revealed that "pleased" expression at the exact same instant!
"Mr. Fang, are you confident we can escape from here?" Xu Bai inquired quietly of Fang Zaiji while continuing to laugh and chat pleasantly with the Taiyan Sect cultivators.
"Rest assured, Sect Master, I am working on a way. The space in this damn place is exceptionally stable. Tearing through the void to flee will take some doing," Fang Zaiji replied with uncharacteristic solemnity.
With life and death on the line, the usually cynical Fang Zaiji had finally grown serious.
"No rush. Let's see what is truly going on with the Taiyan Sect first," Xu Bai soothed. In the time it took the two to exchange these thoughts, the Taiyan Sect disciples had already led them to the center of the city, before a peculiarly shaped building.
It was constructed entirely of translucent blue crystal. From the outside, one could clearly see the interior partitioned into rectangular chambers, each containing a cultivator hard at work.
"This..." Xu Bai and Fang Zaiji exchanged a glance.
"Let's go. Senior Brother is already waiting inside," the middle-aged cultivator said offhandedly. Much like entering the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' Formation Planning Hall, the moment Xu Bai stepped into this blue crystal structure, he felt as though the space beneath his feet was moving.
The surrounding walls gradually lost their transparency until nothing outside could be discerned. At the same time, the decor and furnishings within the chamber shifted continuously.
Only Xu Bai and the others, standing quietly, remained unchanged. When the crystalline barriers fully solidified into the appearance of solid walls, an illusory blue figure suddenly materialized before them.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Chen!" The Taiyan Sect cultivators leading the way bowed in salute one after another. The blue radiance coalesced, revealing the true features of a rather handsome man.
"Chen Tianhai?!" Fang Zaiji cried out involuntarily upon getting a clear look at the man's face. Everyone present froze for a moment.
Chen Tianhai, however, simply glanced at Fang Zaiji, seemingly unsurprised by his appearance.
"You handled this mission very well. Step down for now; I have a few words to speak with this old friend," he instructed the others first.
Having received some unknown benefit, the guide cultivators beamed with joy and quickly departed from the chamber.
Fang Zaiji had calmed down somewhat, though the shock in his eyes had yet to fade as he continually scrutinized Chen Tianhai before him.
"It really is him. To think he's still alive..." Whispering to himself, Fang Zaiji sent a voice transmission explaining to Xu Bai: "Back in the day, Chen Tianhai was the Taiyan Sect's foremost direct disciple and heir apparent to the sect mastership. Later on, however, for reasons unknown, he was stripped of all titles and status. He disappeared without a trace and was even wanted by the Taiyan Sect.
"Back then, because Taiyan Sect disciples took part in hunting me down, I was never able to shake them off. It was this kid who stepped in to save me, which allowed me to lay low safely in the Medicine King Sect.
"When I heard about what happened to him later, I felt sorry for him for quite some time. Who would have thought..."
"Surprised to see me?" Chen Tianhai asked with a smile.
"After all these years, you haven't changed a bit. No, that's not right. For us, thousands of years have passed. But for your Medicine King Sect, it was merely a fleeting instant." With his opening words, Chen Tianhai laid bare the fact that the Medicine King Sect had braved the Immortal Ruins and leaped across millennia of time.
"Then you also know that the Medicine King Sect's attempt to flee in the cauldron back then was nothing more than seeking our own doom?" Fang Zaiji narrowed his eyes.
"I only learned of it after the fact. Otherwise, given my temperament back then, I would have insisted on coming along with you no matter what." Chen Tianhai's reply stunned Fang Zaiji for a moment.
"Come along with us?" Fang Zaiji couldn't help but wonder.
"That was the Immortal Ruins. What lies within the Immortal Ruins? Brother Fang, don't tell me you weren't curious?" Chen Tianhai countered.
"In the entire Xuanhuang Realm, how many people could witness such a wonder and return safely? Brother Fang, you can truly be counted among that tiny handful of lucky souls."
Fang Zaiji shrugged. "Then you might be disappointed. Not long after entering the cauldron back then, I fell right into a deep slumber inside the Spring and Autumn Great Dream Formation."
Chen Tianhai nodded slightly. "Indeed something you would do. Brother Fang is truly carefree."
At this point, Xu Bai suddenly interjected, "You are interested in the Immortal Ruins? Actually, we recorded our experiences back then."
Only then did Chen Tianhai turn a solemn gaze upon Xu Bai.
"Outside the variable..." he murmured under his breath, a flash of excitement in his eyes. "As expected, the variable stems from the Medicine King Sect!"
"Old Chen, what are you muttering about?" Fang Zaiji was baffled by Chen Tianhai's words.
"Brother Fang, who might this be? You haven't introduced him to me yet," Chen Tianhai said.
"Ah! This is..." Fang Zaiji glanced at Xu Bai. After receiving an encouraging nod of the eyes, he spoke the truth: "This is our Medicine King Sect's current sect master! Xu Bai!"
"Hm?" A look of astonishment flashed across Chen Tianhai's eyes. Then he fixed his gaze back onto Xu Bai, freezing like a stone statue.
Only after Fang Zaiji called out to him repeatedly did he finally snap back to reality. The look of interest with which he regarded Xu Bai deepened even further.
"The Sect Master of the Medicine King Sect actually wishes to join our Taiyan Sect. You two truly harbor no good intentions," Chen Tianhai said, shaking his head slightly.
"Nowadays, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals intends to sweep across all realms of Xuanhuang. Be it the Medicine King Sect or the Taiyan Sect, in the future both will be incorporated into the Alliance. Once we are all part of the Alliance, what difference does sect affiliation make? Truth be told, if the benefits you offer are good enough, it's not out of the question for me to truly join your Taiyan Sect," Xu Bai said, unperturbed.
Chen Tianhai was rendered momentarily speechless.
"What you say is not wrong. The era belonging to sects has already passed," he said, somewhat melancholy.
"However, as for you joining our Taiyan Sect..." Chen Tianhai's movements paused once more for a fleeting second. Then he shook his head slightly.
"Best forget it. We cannot accommodate a figure such as you.
"Furthermore, the price of joining us...
"You might not necessarily be willing to accept it either," Chen Tianhai said in an enigmatic tone.
Chapter 783