It was almost midnight.
The world was dark and quiet, with only a round, jade-white moon hanging high in the night sky.
But under the shroud of moonlight, the Mingyue Pavilion on Cuixia Island was still brightly lit and bustling with people.
Ordinarily, Mingyue Pavilion would not be so lively.
Compared to that, it would be much more serene and tranquil.
But tonight was different.
Tonight, in Mingyue Pavilion, besides the Sect Leader Zhong XiangSheng, there were also the Sect Leaders of the Seven Stars Tower and the Ryuko Sword Sect, Zhuang Xuangan and Han Qinghong.
And also, the Winter God Envoy Xue Feihong from the Ice Palace, the Holy Land of the Martial Forest that governed these three Sects.
The purpose of their gathering here was to hold the Tri-Sect Council, which took place once every thirty years.
Through this meeting, they aimed to resolve the conflicts of interest between the three factions over the past thirty years and, incidentally, dissipate the accumulated grievances between them.
However, grievances are often not resolved by a few words but require enough blood and lives.
Therefore, the three great Sects, and even their leader, the Ice Palace, did not hope that a single meeting could resolve the accumulated resentment.
However, facing competition from other Holy Lands and Sects, the Ice Palace still hoped to mend the relationships between the three factions, allowing them to unite against external threats and avoid internal strife.
And just as this Tri-Sect meeting was halfway through, sudden thunderous, deep roars boomed down from the dark night sky, rumbling over the entire Mingyue Pavilion, shaking the scrolls, curtains, tables, chairs, and teacups in the various pavilions, halls, and buildings:
"— Zhong XiangSheng, are you there?! Zhong XiangSheng, are you there?! Zhong XiangSheng, are you there—"
In the Mingyue Pavilion's council hall, Zhuang Xuangan, the Sect Leader of the Seven Stars Tower, who was tall yet slender, dressed in a black robe with an ancient crown, and whose demeanor was as vast and profound as the starry sky, glanced at the slightly shaking round table in front of him, then looked up with a playful gaze at the silent Zhong XiangSheng across the table, and chuckled softly:
"Brother Zhong, are you putting on an entertaining show because you see everyone is tired of the meeting?"
Sitting on the other side of the round table not far away, Han Qinghong, the Sect Leader of the Ryuko Sword Sect, who was dressed in golden robes and even had golden hair, radiating an extremely sharp aura as if he were a sword demon incarnate, also said with a cold, stiff smile:
"This show is just like Brother Zhong, just as—boring and bland."
"Brother Zhuang, Brother Han, there's no need for such barbed words; they are meaningless and uninteresting."
Zhong XiangSheng said indifferently, "If you are dissatisfied with any proposal in this meeting, you can speak it out. With Envoy Xue present, we can openly and thoroughly discuss and research it."
As he spoke, he glanced at the main seat at the head of the round table.
And there, sat a peerless beauty as ethereal as the aurora in the night sky, and as cold as a ten-thousand-year-old ice mountain, whose beauty and temperament were on par with Li Hai.
This woman was the Ice Palace Envoy, Xue Feihong, an Innate Legend at the Peak level.
Xue Feihong slightly raised her head, looked distantly at the dark night sky outside the hall door, and then calmly said to the three Sect Leaders:
"From the sound volume, this person's Martial Dao Realm is probably no less than everyone present, and it is very likely that she is also at the Peak Legend Realm, so—"
She looked at Zhong XiangSheng: "Sect Leader Zhong, have you recently made an enemy of a Peak Legend inside or outside the Martial World?"
Zhong XiangSheng slowly shook his head: "No, the number of times this old man has left Cuixia in the past thirty years is few and far between."
"Brother Zhong," Han Qinghong interjected, "could it be that you made an enemy of a Peak Legend, and then you never left the island, so the other party came knocking on your door?"
"Brother Han makes a good point, but I also have a further conjecture."
Zhuang Xuangan smiled slightly, "You see, unlike the two of us who are so obsessed with the Martial Dao that we have never married in our lives, with no children or grandchildren, only a few foolish and incompetent disciples in the world.
Brother Zhong is different; he has a large family of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This time, it's probably one of those troublesome ones who caused trouble outside and brought someone to block the door."
"Hehehe, Brother Zhuang, you really know how to joke."
Zhong XiangSheng shook his head and laughed, "My children and grandchildren are all law-abiding people; it's impossible for them to cause trouble outside."
"That's not necessarily true."
Han Qinghong said leisurely while sipping his tea, "I remember you have a son who seems to be a Martial Dao Genius, reaching Innate Legend before he was a hundred years old.
Then, a few years ago, for some unknown reason, you sent him to the Northern Desert. I guess he caused a big disaster, or was his nature too abnormal to stay in the Sect?"
"Brother Han is truly flattering; my son truly cannot bear the title of 'Genius'."
Zhong XiangSheng smiled gently, changing the subject, "Speaking of true Geniuses, it must be Envoy Xue. Her Realm and cultivation at such a young age can rival us old folks."
Saying that, he looked at Xue Feihong, who was in the main seat, and said kindly, "Envoy Xue, from your aura, you should be—no older than thirty this year, right?"
Xue Feihong gave a cold smile: "Sect Leader Zhong, Feihong is exactly eighteen this year."
When she said this, the three Sect Leaders were all stunned.
"Eighteen? And already reached Peak Legend?!"
Han Qinghong said contentedly, "The Ice Palace truly lives up to its reputation as a Martial Forest Holy Land; it can produce such an unparalleled Prodigy as Envoy Xue!"
"Even 'unparalleled Prodigy' is not enough to describe her!"
Zhuang Xuangan sighed with emotion, "Eighteen years old, let alone the Xia Alliance Martial World, even in the entire history of Yu Continent, there has never been anyone with such outstanding talent as Envoy Xue."
Zhong XiangSheng shook his head and sighed even more: "That's why I said my son is not a Genius at all. Only a true peerless Prodigy like Envoy Xue deserves the name of Genius!"
"You all flatter me."
Xue Feihong's voice was clear and aloof, "The reason Feihong has her current Realm is entirely due to my father's upbringing."
"My father?"
The three Sect Leaders exchanged glances, then immediately asked in unison, "Envoy Xue, your father, could it be—"
Xue Feihong said coldly: "My father, Xue Cangqiong."
The three were immediately shocked.
No—that Winter God, Xue Cangqiong, must be over a thousand years old, right?
Would such a thousand-year-old monster still have normal human desires?
Why would he, in his old age, have a child?!
Just as the meeting hall fell into silent tranquility, seven or eight torrents of blazing light suddenly roared down from the night sky above, plummeting rapidly towards Mingyue Pavilion.
"How audacious!"
In the meeting hall, Zhong XiangSheng's eyes turned cold, and he instantly vanished from his seat.
After Han Qinghong and Zhuang Xuangan exchanged glances, they also disappeared from the hall.
As for Xue Feihong, only after slowly closing the documents on the table did she slowly vanish from her seat.