“There’s still not much progress. It seems like I’ll have to observe someone casting the Black Turtle’s Barrier before I can successfully comprehend and master it in a short time!” Inside the fourth level of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, three days had passed in just a blink of an eye. Duan Ling Tian could not help but sigh when he opened his eyes.
‘However, in the Fire Worship Sect, there are not more than ten people who have successfully comprehended and mastered the Black Turtle’s Barrier. In our Black Turtle Sanctum, it seems like only the Sanctum Leader has mastered the Black Turtle’s Barrier!’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself.
The Sanctum Leader of the Black Turtle Sanctum was also a Golden Flame Elder in the Fire Worship Sect. It was said that he was a powerhouse who was ranked in the top 50 of the Supreme Saint Ranking!
When Duan Ling Tian was thinking about how he could get the Sanctum Leader of the Black Turtle Sanctum to cast the Black Turtle’s Barrier so he could watch, a boisterous voice rang in the air suddenly.
“Duan Ling Tian!”
The sound was so loud that it could be heard clearly in the Secundus house and the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.
“Who’s calling for me?” Duan Ling Tian was puzzled when he heard the voice. He was certain he had not heard of the voice before.
The voice sounded old. He was certain the person calling out to him was an old man.
“I’m Meng Jin, a Black Turtle Sanctum’s Silver Flame Elder!” After that person called out to Duan Ling Tian, he began to introduce himself as though he feared Duan Ling Tian would ignore him.
“Meng Jin?” Duan Ling Tian thought about it for a moment before he realized he had heard of this name before. Meng Jin was one of the five Silver Flame Elders in the Black Turtle Sanctum.
With Li An, Guo Xiong, and Teng Shan around, Meng Jin did not seem to have any presence. That was why it took Duan Ling Tian a moment to remember him.
After Duan Ling Tian left the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda and put it away, he opened the door of the Secundus house.
The instant he left the Secundus house, he instantly sensed two pairs of eyes trained on him. One of them was filled with hostility.
Duan Ling Tian turned to look at them. He saw two figures standing nearby. One was standing in the lead, the other was standing at the back.
The person standing in the lead was an old man wearing the uniform exclusive to a Black Turtle Sanctum’s Silver Flame Elder. His body was robust. If one did not look at his face, one would not be able to tell he was old.
The person standing behind the old man was no stranger to Duan Ling Tian. It was none other than the Black Turtle Sanctum’s disciple who had fought with and was defeated by Duan Ling Tian, resulting in his Secundus house being taken over by Duan Ling Tian. All this happened two months ago. He seemed to be called Zhang Ji.
It was apparent Meng Jin was the one who called out to him earlier.
“Elder Meng Jin, are you looking for me?” Duan Ling Tian asked curiously as he looked at the old man.
“You! Follow me,” Meng Qing ordered Duan Ling Tian as he looked at him indifferently.
As soon as he finished speaking, he flew out of the Black Turtle Sanctum’s disciples. It was as though he was certain Duan Ling Tian would do as he was told.
“Farewell, Master!” Before Duan Ling Tian made his move, he heard Zhang Ji cried out respectfully before bowing to Meng Jing.
“Elder Meng Jin…. Is Zhang Ji’s master?” Duan Ling Tian was slightly surprised when he discovered this.
Earlier, when he saw Zhang Ji standing behind Meng Jin, he thought Zhang Ji was randomly asked by Meng Jin to show him his residence. He did not expect Meng Jin to be Zhang Ji’s master!
Although he knew that Meng Jin was Zhang Ji’s master, he still followed after him. Since there were so many people watching, he was not afraid Meng Jin would make a move against him.
“Duan Ling Tian has gone with Elder Meng Jin!”
“Elder Meng Jin seems to be looking for Duan Ling Tian. Does he intend to seek revenge for his disciple, Zhang Ji, for what happened two months ago?”
“Do you think it’s possible? That incident took place two months ago. If Elder Meng Jin wanted to seek revenge for Zhang Ji, he would’ve done so earlier. Why would he wait until now?”
“You have a point!”
The Black Turtle Sanctum’s disciples who happened to see Duan Ling Tian leaving together with Meng Jin could not help but discuss among themselves.
“No matter what, Senior Brother Duan Ling Tian won’t be placed in a disadvantageous position. Two months ago, he killed two people from the Vermilion Bird Sanctum and created such a huge commotion, and yet, he’s merely being sent to our Four Symbols Sanctum’s First Mine to serve for ten years! His crime is killing fellow disciples not some minor crime!”
“Isn’t it’s because the two Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s disciples looked for trouble with Duan Ling Tian and wanted to kill him? Duan Ling Tian had only acted out of self-defense, that’s why he received such a light punishment!”
“The truth is not like that! I have a friend who’s a Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s disciple, and he witnessed the incident that day. According to him, it’s indeed true that one of the Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s disciples made the first move and attack Duan Ling Tian. However, it’s uncertain if he intended to kill Duan Ling Tian. It’s very likely he just wanted to teach Duan Ling Tian a lesson for offending our Black Turtle Sanctum’s Elder Li An!”
“A Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s disciple tried to seek revenge for Elder Li An? Are you sure you heard correctly?”
“Well, you probably don’t know this. Rumor has it that the Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s disciple was the direct disciple of Li An’s Great Direct Disciple. He’s Elder Li An’s grand disciple! How’s it strange for him to seek revenge for his Grand Master?”
“Put aside whether Elder Li An’s grand disciple really intended to kill Duan Ling Tian or not, it’s said that the other Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s disciple didn’t even make a move against Duan Ling Tian, but he was killed as well. From what the Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s disciples said, Duan Ling Tian had intentionally killed him! Although that was the case, in the end, our Black Turtle Sanctum’s Enforcement Elder Guo Xiong only sent him to serve in the mine for ten years!”
“Don’t tell me the Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s Enforcement Elder has no objection against Elder Guo Xiong’s verdict?”
“It’s said that the verdict was jointly made by Elder Guo Xiong and that Vermilion Bird Sanctum’s Enforcement Elder.”
After discussing about Duan Ling Tian, the Black Turtle Sanctum’s disciples soon shifted their topic to the incident that happened in the Vermilion Bird Sanctum two months ago.
That incident had now spread in the entire Four Symbols Sanctums.
At the same time, many Four Symbols Sanctum’s disciples doubted the Black Turtle Sanctum’s Enforcement Elder’s verdict, but there was nothing they could do about it.
As the saying went, ‘The words of the lowly carry little weight!’
As time went by, fewer and fewer people talked about it.
However, deep inside many of the Four Symbols Sanctums’ disciples’ hearts, they suspected Duan Ling Tian had a strong backing! Otherwise, how could he get away with killing someone intentionally with just a light punishment?
Meanwhile, when Duan Ling Tian caught up to Meng Jin, one of the five great Silver Flame Elders in the Black Turtle Sanctum, he could not help but ask, “Elder Meng Jin, where are you taking me?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Meng Jin answered nonchalantly.
However, upon hearing Meng Jin’s words, Duan Ling Tian came to a halt and frowned as he said, “Elder Meng Jin, if you don’t make it clear to me, please don’t blame me for not cooperating with you. Who knows if you’re trying to seek revenge from me for injuring your disciples two months ago?”
“Seek revenge from you?” Upon hearing Duan Ling Tian’s words, Meng Jin was momentarily stunned before he began to chuckle. “An old man like me would not stoop so low as to interfere in the matters between two juniors! Moreover, you injuring him can be considered as a sort of training for him. I’m happy about that. Why should I seek revenge from you?” Meng Jin’s words were magnanimous, and he sounded sincere, leaving no room for Duan Ling Tian to doubt him.
“Fine! Since it’s just the both of us here, there’s no harm in telling you about it now!” Meng Jin said, “The reason I came to look for you is due to Silver Flame Elder Qian from the Saint Land Enforcement Hall!”
“Saint Land Enforcement Hall? Silver Flame Elder Qian?” Duan Ling Tian narrowed his eyes and asked, “Elder Meng Jin, do you know why Elder Qian is looking for me?”
At this moment, Duan Ling Tian’s heart began to palpitate.
Could it be that Li An managed to overturn Elder Guo Xiong’s verdict from two months ago? However, he quickly dismissed this thought since he found it ludicrous. With his Innate Spiritual Root, there was no way the Saint Land Enforcement Hall would not stand on his side.
‘However, if Elder Li An did not manage to overturn Elder Guo Xiong’s verdict, why would a Silver Flame Elder from the Saint Land Enforcement Hall look for me in the Black Turtle Sanctum?’ Duan Ling Tian could not figure it out no matter how much mulled over it.
“I’m not sure about it as well. However, Wei He is with him as well,” Meng Jin replied as he kept moving.
Duan Ling Tian caught up to him again and asked, “Wei He?”
It was his first time hearing this name.
“Wei He is the Great Direct Disciple of our Black Turtle Sanctum’s Elder Li An. He’s also the master of Yuan Hong whom you’ve killed two months ago!” Meng Jin added.
Yuan Hong’s master?
Duan Ling Tian frowned as he became even more puzzled.
Under Meng Jin’s lead, Duan Ling Tian arrived at a secluded palace situated at the north of the Black Turtle Sanctum. This palace was located in a forest and was very inconspicuous.
If it was not for Meng Jin, Duan Ling Tian would not have noticed this place.
Although the place looked old, it was kept clean.
As Duan Ling Tian followed behind Meng Jin, Duan Ling Tian saw a familiar figure as soon as he entered the palace.
The familiar figure was one out of three figures standing inside the palace. That person was none other than the Black Turtle Sanctum’s Enforcement Elder Guo Xiong.
” Elder Guo Xiong, why are you here as well?” Upon seeing Guo Xiong, Duan Ling Tian could not help but ask through Voice Transmission.
“Somebody filed a complaint saying that I abused my power for personal gain and falsified my report and lied about your Innate Spiritual Root to clear you of your crimes!” Guo Xiong answered through his Voice Transmission.
“What?!” Upon hearing his words, Duan Ling Tian was stunned.
Then, he shifted his gaze to a middle-aged man who was looking at him coldly. It was not difficult for him to figure out who that man was.
‘He’s Wei He? He’s the one who lodged a complaint against Elder Guo Xiong? He thinks that Elder Guo Xiong is lying about my Innate Spiritual Root? It seems like Li An really doesn’t believe that I possess a blue Innate Spiritual Root!”
