172: Temporarily residing at the Illusion Moon Sect

"Enemy attack! It's people from the Heavenly Demon Palace!" A Disciple came speeding over, their voice urgent, "They are fiercely attacking the Formation on the southeast side of the mountain gate!"

Everyone's expression changed abruptly.

A flash of cold light appeared in the Saintess's eyes, and she instantly regained her majestic and decisive demeanor.

"They really came! Qingyao, immediately lead the Inner Sect Disciples to hold the southeast relying on the Formation. You must not let the demonic followers step inside even one step! Order the Elders of each peak to provide reinforcements according to the contingency plan!"

"Yes!" Yun Qingyao cupped her hands to accept the order, and without hesitation, she transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards the mountain gate.

The Saintess turned to Lin Feng, her expression grave: "Fellow Daoist Lin, the situation has changed! The Heavenly Demon Palace attacking at this time must have calculated that the grand yin pearl has just stabilized and the Sect is in turmoil."

Hearing this, Lin Feng's heart tightened. He immediately understood the deeper meaning in the Saintess's words; this attack by the Heavenly Demon Palace was by no means accidental, but a calculated act of taking advantage of their misfortune.

Once the Sect-protecting Formation was broken, the newly stabilized grand yin pearl would inevitably stir up trouble again, and the entire Illusory Moon Sect would face catastrophe.

He looked towards the mountain gate and saw spiritual light exploding in the distant sky, accompanied by bursts of roaring sounds; the battle was clearly intense.

"Senior, is there anything this Junior can do to help?" Lin Feng asked in a deep voice. Although his Cultivation was not equal to the Saintess's, since he had already been drawn into this matter, he could not stay out of it.

The Saintess shook her head slightly: "The Sect's Formation has its own rules, and outsiders rashly interfering will easily cause chaos instead. With Qingyao and the others holding the line according to the contingency plan, there should be no major issues for the time being."

Although she said this, her gaze was fixed on the battle, and her fingertips were unconsciously calculating, clearly indicating she was not at ease.

Seeing this, Lin Feng did not persist. He stood quietly to the side, silently sensing the fluctuations of spiritual power coming from afar.

This offensive and defensive battle lasted for about half an hour. Although the Heavenly Demon Palace's offensive was fierce, the Illusory Moon Sect had a deep foundation after all, and with proper countermeasures, the attackers were never able to cross the line.

Finally, amidst a series of shrill, unwilling screams, those few streaks of black light retreated dejectedly, and the light curtain of the Sect-protecting Formation gradually returned to calm.

The crisis was temporarily resolved, but the Saintess's tense expression did not relax. She quickly arranged for Disciples to strengthen patrols and repair the Formation, then turned to Lin Feng, pondered for a moment, and said sincerely: "Fellow Daoist Lin, I have a request."

"Please speak, Senior."

"I hope you can stay temporarily at the Illusory Moon Sect for a period of time." The Saintess stepped closer.

"On one hand, the hidden dangers of the grand yin pearl have not been completely eliminated, and I might need your help; on the other hand, I also want to discuss the principles of Yin and Yang changes with you in depth, which would be of great benefit to both of our Cultivation."

Seeing Lin Feng listening attentively, she continued: "In return, you may peruse all the classics regarding the Five Elements Cultivation in our Sect's Scripture Pavilion.

Although the Illusory Moon Sect primarily uses the power of moonlight, our thousand years of accumulation and insights into the interaction of the Five Elements and the balance of Yin and Yang might offer you some inspiration."

Lin Feng's heart stirred. As an ancient Sect, the Illusory Moon Sect's collection of classics must be extraordinary. Moreover, being able to discuss the Dao with the Saintess was a rare opportunity.

He was just about to agree when he suddenly remembered something: "Senior, this Junior is indeed willing to stay, but..."

He looked around, slightly embarrassed, "Your Sect seems to consist entirely of female cultivators; for me, a man, to stay here for a long time, I fear it might be inconvenient."

The Saintess was slightly stunned upon hearing this, then realized, and a trace of a smile flashed in her eyes: "That was my oversight. It has indeed been a long time since the Illusory Moon Sect has had a male guest stay for a long time."

She pondered for a moment and then calmly arranged: "How about this? There is a 'Listening Bamboo Pavilion' in the back mountain, which is quiet and secluded, with some distance from the main halls of each peak.

I will immediately order someone to tidy it up and make arrangements, and all daily necessities will be taken care of, trying our best not to let your presence interfere with the Sect's daily operations. This way, it will both satisfy your need for quiet Cultivation and avoid mutual embarrassment."

Seeing that the Saintess was so thoughtful, Lin Feng's worries vanished, and he cupped his hands: "Senior has arranged everything perfectly; this Junior will respectfully comply."

"That is excellent." The Saintess smiled and nodded, then summoned a Disciple and whispered instructions to go and tidy up the Listening Bamboo Pavilion.

When that Disciple received the order, she couldn't help but curiously steal a glance at Lin Feng, her face slightly flushed, before hurrying away.

Three days later, inside the Listening Bamboo Pavilion, Lin Feng had just finished a round of regulating his breath when the sound of light footsteps and deliberately lowered conversation came from outside the courtyard.

He opened his eyes and sighed helplessly. He had gradually grown accustomed to this feeling of being secretly observed over the past few days.

The courtyard gate was gently pushed open. It was still Yun Zhi and the female cultivator referred to as Junior Sister Liu, but their expressions lacked the naturalness of the previous few days and had a bit more restraint.

Unlike usual, this time they were only holding an exquisite jade bottle.

"Senior Brother Lin," her voice was softer than usual, her gaze lowered, not meeting Lin Feng's eyes, "This is today's Moon Essence Dew."

Lin Feng reached out to take it and casually asked: "Are there no spiritual fruits today? The spiritual fruits from the past two days were delicious."

Yun Zhi's hand paused, and Junior Sister Liu on the side pursed her lips.

Yun Zhi quickly looked up at Lin Feng and then lowered her head again, her voice carrying an imperceptible nervousness: "Elder Yan Jing... has instructed that Senior Brother Lin's quiet Cultivation is of utmost importance, so daily necessities... should all be kept simple, so as not to disturb Senior Brother's quiet Cultivation."

This sounded polite and thoughtful, but combined with their shifty eyes and stiff wording, it seemed like they were trying to hide something. Junior Sister Liu couldn't help but add in a low voice: "Elder also said that we should leave immediately after delivering the items and not linger..."

As soon as the words were out, she was quietly tugged on the sleeve by Yun Zhi to stop her.

Lin Feng understood instantly. There was no need to guess; this was clearly Elder Yan Jing, who had harbored great hostility towards him the moment she saw the crescent jade pendant and had once angrily denounced him as a "shameless scoundrel," directly intervening.

He understood in his heart and even felt a bit of absurd irony, but on the surface, he remained calm, taking the jade bottle peacefully: "Understood. Thank you, two Junior Sisters, and... please thank the Elder for me."

His calmness instead made Yun Zhi and the other feel more uneasy. They hurriedly bowed and left the small courtyard as if fleeing, as if staying for one more moment would cause trouble.

Lin Feng held the cool jade bottle, watching their hasty backs, and shook his head helplessly.

After Elder Yan Jing's prohibition came down, the Listening Bamboo Pavilion was indeed quieter.

For the first two days, no more female Disciples dared to run over and curiously observe him under the pretext of delivering items.

But Lin Feng could feel that in the distant bamboo forest and behind the mountain walls, those secretly peeking gazes had not decreased, but rather increased, carrying a sense of nervousness of being afraid of being discovered but unable to resist wanting to look.

He simply ignored them and continued to Cultivate in the courtyard every day as usual. On this day, he was pondering the transformation of his water-attribute Sword Essence, trying to condense the power to pierce through metal and stone from the extremely soft water.

When his Qi circulation reached a critical point, that wisp of water vapor dispersed again. He subconsciously muttered in a low voice: "The extremely soft water, how can it become steel? Is it possible that the rigid strength is hidden within the ultimate softness?"

As soon as his voice fell, a soft cry of "Ouch" suddenly came from behind the rockery not far away, as if someone had been startled and slipped on a stone, followed by the sound of panicked footsteps moving away.

Lin Feng frowned, not paying much attention.

Who would have thought that the next night, there would be a very light knocking sound outside the courtyard gate.

He opened the door to see, and it was actually Yun Zhi, who had delivered the Moon Essence Dew a few days ago.