Chapter 2046: A Visitor from the Divine Hall

"How dare you act recklessly in the Star-Chasing Palace... Are you trying to provoke a war between our two major sects?"

She hadn't expected this newly appointed Sect Leader Liu of the Seven Star Tower to be so unreasonable, disregarding the dignity of both major sects and directly capturing her. The woman's face flushed red with anger, her teeth clenched.

Raising an eyebrow, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and snorted coldly: "I came in good faith to visit Palace Lord Du, but you fobbed me off with someone else. You were the ones who were rude first. Now you're calling me reckless? What, are you bullying us because the Seven Star Tower has no one?"

Regardless, he represented the Seven Star Tower and had sent a visiting card, fulfilling all the proper formalities. Yet the result was... if they didn't want to see him, fine, but to send a fake to fob him off—wasn't that going too far?

No wonder they hadn't let Elder Kuixiao come over and had set up a screen!

Clearly, they were bullying him because he had just taken over as sect leader and didn't know the real Du Qingyuan.

"You..."

The woman trembled incessantly, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out.

In this matter, they were indeed in the wrong.

"Where is your palace lord? Have her come out to see me, and this matter will be dropped. Otherwise, even if we take this to the other sect leaders, I am in the right!"

With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan snorted.

He only wanted to inquire about information, not to escalate things or cause suffering between the two major sects.

But the other side was clearly going too far!

The woman clenched her teeth and said nothing.

"If you won't speak, don't blame me for being impolite..."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

The four divine beasts surrounded her.

As overlords of the ocean, each of these four divine beasts was stained with blood. Now, as their auras burst forth, the woman's face turned pale, and her breathing became labored.

"Sect Leader Liu, please calm your anger!"

Just then, a voice rang out, and an old woman flew into the hall. She was at the peak of the Immortal Lord realm, dressed in coarse linen. She came before Zhang Xuan and bowed deeply.

"I am the Grand Elder of the Star-Chasing Palace, Zhao Yue. This is the palace lord's personal disciple, Chu Yin. Please forgive any offense!"

Zhang Xuan frowned.

"The palace lord has matters to attend to today and is not in the palace. In recent days, the six major sects have been arriving one after another. If they learned of this news, it might cause unnecessary trouble. So... we had her temporarily impersonate the palace lord. Please understand!"

Grand Elder Zhao Yue clasped her fists.

Zhang Xuan looked at her with suspicion.

If the palace lord was not in the sect, normally that shouldn't be a big deal, right? Why not just tell the truth? Why resort to impersonation?

Doing so would easily reduce the other sects' trust in the Star-Chasing Palace, which would be counterproductive!

Moreover, even if the six major sects were arriving one after another, with the palace lord absent, the many elders were still here, and the foundation remained. There shouldn't be any trouble!

It's not like the other sects would send troops to attack just because the sect leader was away!

"We resorted to this inferior strategy because we have a difficult situation to explain... Please understand, Sect Leader Liu!" Seeing his confusion, Elder Zhao Yue smiled bitterly.

"A difficult situation?"

"Forgive me for not being able to elaborate. Since the palace lord is not here, Sect Leader Liu, please return for now. This time, the Star-Chasing Palace has been discourteous. When the palace lord returns, she will surely explain in detail and personally go to the Seven Star Tower to apologize!"

Grand Elder Zhao Yue said.

"Very well."

Seeing her sincere attitude, Zhang Xuan paused and finally nodded.

He had only come to ask about Luo Ruoxi and did not want to make an enemy of the Star-Chasing Palace. Since she said so, continuing to press would make him seem petty.

With a wave of his hand, the several divine beasts were immediately put back into the beast pet bag.

"Farewell..."

With that, he leaped up and flew straight outward.

Returning to the earlier hall, he saw Elder Kuixiao looking over anxiously.

"I felt energy fluctuations over there just now. What happened?"

He had been worried that this young man would clash with Palace Lord Du Qingyuan, so he had been restless.

"Let's talk about it on the way back."

Zhang Xuan didn't explain.

The two left the Star-Chasing Palace.

After flying not too far, Zhang Xuan stopped.

"Sect Leader..."

Seeing his expression was off, Elder Kuixiao looked at him with confusion: "What exactly happened just now? Did you see Palace Lord Du? And what about the energy fluctuations?"

Could it be that they had already fought?

Sect Leader, you said before that you wouldn't act rashly...

"I didn't see Palace Lord Du."

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan recounted what had just happened in detail.

"Palace Lord Du is not in the sect, and a disciple impersonated her to meet you?"

After hearing the whole story, Elder Kuixiao was stunned.

Sect leaders are often away from the sect. For example, in the Seven Star Tower, the sect leader is here, but he certainly isn't at the headquarters either...

Why would they have someone impersonate her?

Something was clearly wrong!

A major sect that had stood for who knows how many years should not, under normal circumstances, make such a foolish decision!

"I just find it a bit strange. Elder Kui, you go back to the Seven Star Tower's lodgings first. I want to go to the Star-Chasing Palace again to investigate." Zhang Xuan said.

No matter how you looked at it, the Star-Chasing Palace seemed odd.

He couldn't rest easy without figuring it out.

This Palace Lord Du was the only one who knew about Luo Ruoxi's descent. He had to find her no matter what.

"I'll go too!" Elder Kuixiao was also worried.

"I'm afraid something might happen. The Seven Star Tower needs you to hold the fort..." Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

"Alright, be careful, Sect Leader."

Hearing this, Elder Kuixiao didn't insist further.

This was Star-Chasing Island, and the Star-Chasing Palace had home-field advantage. With such strange things happening... it was indeed unsafe for the Seven Star Tower to have no Pseudo-God realm expert stationed there.

Without further ado, Zhang Xuan leaped down into a deserted alley below. When he emerged again, his appearance had changed, completely different from the previous "Liu Yang."

After completing his disguise, he flew back toward the Star-Chasing Palace.

With his aura concealed, even Pseudo-God realm experts would find it hard to detect him, let alone the people of the Star-Chasing Palace. Before long, he returned to the earlier hall.

With a flicker, he quietly slipped inside and hid on a beam in the room.

The several elders who had been injured earlier had all disappeared, and the traces of the fight had been completely erased.

Only Grand Elder Zhao Yue and her disciple Chu Yin remained.

"Grand Elder, I said this wouldn't work... Sect Leader Liu could see through it, and others will too!"

Chu Yin said worriedly: "I can imitate my master's voice, but her bearing and authority are impossible to imitate no matter what..."

"I know you can't imitate them, but we have no other choice now. This is the only way—delay as much as we can, buy as much time as we can."

Grand Elder Zhao Yue said.

"I understand... Then what should I do?"

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Yin clenched her teeth.

"This is a jade talisman containing the palace lord's true qi. When the time comes, just hold it in your palm and activate it, and your body will emit the aura of a Pseudo-God realm expert, exactly like the palace lord's. The reason Sect Leader Liu saw through you earlier was because he made a move directly. If you can stall and prevent the other party from acting... it should be almost successful."

Grand Elder Zhao Yue said.

"I'll try my best."

Chu Yin nodded, pinched the jade talisman in her palm, and her aura immediately changed, as if she had become a different person in an instant—naturally aloof, emitting a power that made others dare not approach or get close.

"Like this. In a moment, no matter what happens, stay calm. If it really doesn't work, I can help you answer..."

Grand Elder Zhao Yue was saying, but before she finished, Zhang Xuan sensed a majestic aura suddenly appear in the courtyard in front of the hall.

His face darkened, and the Grand Elder stopped speaking abruptly, hurriedly signaling Chu Yin to go behind the screen.

"I wonder, has Palace Lord Du made her decision?"

Just as they finished, a faint voice rang out, and then several figures slowly walked into the hall through the main entrance.

There were five in total. The leader was a middle-aged man in a gray robe, whose cultivation seemed as vast as the ocean, giving an unfathomable impression.

"They..."

Through the gap in the beam, Zhang Xuan looked at the several people. His brows furrowed, and his body couldn't help but tremble: "From... the Divine Hall?"