93: Jinyang Island, Haoyang Sect Foreign Affairs Hall

Two years later, Su Ling finally arrived at the vast Jinyang Island after a long journey.

As soon as he stepped out of the teleportation array, he felt a wave of scorching heat rush toward him.

According to the "Introduction to Immortal Cultivation," Jinyang Island contained a massive volcano, and the surrounding seas were filled with underwater volcanoes and warm currents.

The climate was quite hot within a radius of tens of thousands of miles.

The Haoyang Sect, whose mountain gate was located in the center of Jinyang Island, was one of the few cultivation Sects in the Canglang Plane that primarily practiced fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques.

Its strength ranked among the top three of the Seven Sects.

The teleportation plaza was located in a corner of the imperial capital of the Zhengyang Imperial Dynasty, which was under the jurisdiction of the Haoyang Sect.

Before leaving the plaza, a staff member specifically informed him that Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage were forbidden from flying within the imperial capital.

The entire imperial capital covered a radius of a thousand miles, making it much larger than the territory of some small countries on Earth.

If one wanted to travel to distant places, they had to take the beast-drawn carriages specially provided by the imperial capital.

Su Ling didn't mind this; he spent one Spirit Stone to board an open-top beast carriage.

Having unexpectedly ended up in the Canglang Plane, this was the first time Su Ling had reached the imperial capital of an Imperial Dynasty.

Along the way, he saw large areas of specially designated spiritual fields where various types of spiritual rice and spiritual plants were grown.

The farmers responsible for the planting were all Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators who could cast the Spiritual Rain Technique.

After traveling a hundred miles, various markets, shops, and restaurants gradually began to appear.

There were squads of imperial capital guards riding various exotic beasts, and standardized Flying Boats flying at low altitudes.

Occasionally, he would encounter the grand processions of officials with powerful auras passing by.

All of this left Su Ling dazzled.

Upon arriving at the central relay station, Su Ling found a restaurant to sit in for a while.

He had previously learned from Qing Ming that all major Sects had specific halls within the imperial capital. Low-level Cultivators who wished to visit a Sect's mountain gate had to first submit a formal visiting request through these halls.

As for whether one could actually go to the Sect, it depended on the judgment of the hall's deacon.

After a simple meal, Su Ling asked the waiter for the location of the Haoyang Sect's hall, left some Spirit Stones, and set off.

Half an hour later, after walking to the center of the imperial capital, a towering pavilion that reached into the clouds came into view.

The height of this pavilion was even greater than that of the Imperial Palace's main hall.

【Haoyang Sect External Affairs Hall】

Six large, radiantly glowing characters emitted a sharp Sword Intent, showcasing the status of the Haoyang Sect.

Su Ling straightened his robes and stepped through the entrance of the External Affairs Hall.

“Fellow Daoist, for what reason do you visit the External Affairs Hall?”

Inside the main hall, an old man with white hair and beard, wearing the Haoyang Sect's standard Magic Treasure, the 【Haoyang Righteous Qi Robe】, stepped forward and asked calmly.

“Greetings, Senior.”

Su Ling bowed respectfully before straightening up to look at this Nascent Soul Stage elder. “Junior was entrusted by Senior Pei Jianbai, a Soul Transformation True Disciple of your noble Sect, and wishes to visit the Haoyang Sect.”

“Pei Jianbai, Senior Brother Pei?!”

The elder's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this. He scrutinized Su Ling carefully before turning to walk inside. “This is not the place to talk. Follow me.”

“Yes.”

Su Ling did as he was told and followed the elder inside.

A moment later, led by the elder, the two arrived at a private room on the third floor of the External Affairs Hall pavilion.

After Su Ling entered, the elder performed a hand seal to activate the concealment Formation within the room.

“Please sit. I am Liao Qinglin, the deacon of the External Affairs Hall. This Formation can block Divine Sense probes.”

Liao Qinglin slowly took the main seat and flicked his sleeve, causing two cups of spiritual tea overflowing with Spiritual Qi to appear on the table. “Fellow Daoist, you may now tell me specifically what this is about.”

After sitting down, Su Ling calmly recounted, “Junior's name is Han Yu. Over forty years ago, on a deserted island in the Yaoxing Sea, I accidentally stumbled upon an Immortal Cave and discovered the remains of Senior Pei Jianbai within...”

Having said that, he took out a stone slab and a token from his storage bracelet and handed them to Liao Qinglin.

On the stone slab were the last words left by Pei Jianbai.

However, when Su Ling had cut the slab, he had deliberately removed the section regarding the Azure Heaven Thunder Treasure Talisman.

As for the token, he had only found it inside the Storage Ring half a year ago after finally wearing down the Restriction on it.

Su Ling had originally thought there would be many treasures left in the Storage Ring.

To his surprise, not a single Magic Treasure remained, and there weren't even any Magical Artifacts.

There were only a few bottles of Medicinal Pills used for Cultivation and restoring mana, along with several thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

Su Ling estimated that Pei Jianbai must have gone through a life-and-death battle before he perished.

“Sigh, it really is Senior Brother Pei's token.”

After checking the information in the token with a special technique, Liao Qinglin said with a dejected expression, “A hundred years ago, the Sect discovered that Senior Brother Pei's soul lamp had shattered. Unfortunately, we were never able to find any information. To think he actually perished in the Yaoxing Sea.”

The Yaoxing Sea fell under the sphere of influence of the Bitao Sect, while the region belonging to the Haoyang Sect was known as the Yanlun Sea.

The sunlight duration in the Yanlun Sea was much longer than in the Yaoxing Sea, and the entire sea region had a tropical climate.

After his lament, Liao Qinglin stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed to Su Ling. “On behalf of the Sect, I thank you, Fellow Daoist, for bringing Senior Brother Pei back to his roots!”

“I don't deserve such honor, I truly don't.”

Su Ling hurriedly stood up and made a lifting gesture with his hands, saying humbly, “To be honest with you, Senior, Senior Pei also left behind a Formation, a Pill Furnace, and several thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in the Immortal Cave. These things have already benefited me greatly. Returning his remains was only right; how could I be so thick-skinned as to take credit for it!”

“The Sect has rules. Anyone who returns the remains of one of our Disciples may keep all other belongings except for the Cultivation Techniques belonging to the Sect.”

Liao Qinglin said solemnly, “What Senior Brother Pei left behind is what you deserve, Fellow Daoist. There is no need for concern.”

“I see. No wonder Senior Pei didn't leave any Cultivation Techniques behind; he likely made preparations in advance.”

Su Ling realized this, then paused for a moment before cupping his hands and asking, “I wonder, will Senior Pei's remains be taken back to the Sect by you, Senior Liao, or should I deliver them?”

“Since it was Senior Brother Pei's dying wish, it is best if you deliver them personally, Fellow Daoist.”

Liao Qinglin returned the identity token to Su Ling and said calmly, “Please wait in the imperial capital for a short while. Once I have consulted the Sect, I will take you to visit the mountain gate.”

“In that case, I shall trouble you, Senior.”

The two then exchanged communication methods.

Liao Qinglin specifically arranged Su Ling's accommodation and then immediately began contacting the Sect... Three days later, Liao Qinglin sent a message informing Su Ling that approval had been granted and he could visit the Haoyang Sect's mountain gate.

A moment later, a luxurious Flying Boat stopped in front of the Immortal Cave where Su Ling was staying.

“Fellow Daoist Han, in our Haoyang Sect, those below the Soul Transformation Stage are Outer Sect Disciples, while those at the Soul Transformation Stage are internal True Disciples. In terms of seniority, we are actually all fellow brothers.”

After boarding, Liao Qinglin specifically advised Su Ling, “Do not call me Senior anymore. Just call me Senior Brother Liao.”

“Well then, Senior Brother Liao.”

Su Ling cupped his hands in greeting, gaining a new understanding of what Zheng Cheng had said about 'all below Soul Transformation are but ants.'

In a Sect guarded by a True Immortal, those above the Soul Transformation Stage were the true core.

It was nothing like the Xuanming Sect back then, where even the Sect Leader was only a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator.