The next day, on the vast mountain range of the Imperial Beast Sect, several figures slowly stood in mid-air.
The elder at the forefront was none other than Zhou Haoran, the Sect Master of the Imperial Beast Sect.
Beside him stood Wang Fan, Wu Sheng, and Chen Jian.
These four individuals held the absolute power of the Imperial Beast Sect.
With less than an hour remaining until the third day concluded, Zhou Haoran had to treat the situation with caution, in case the Li Xuan they spoke of was the one they knew.
As time passed, with less than ten minutes left in the final hour, Chen Jian and the others looked towards Zhou Haoran, their eyes revealing their unspoken questions.
"Let's wait a bit longer. Perhaps that person is not the Li Xuan we know, or perhaps this person is merely a hypocrite. Otherwise, they would not have remained absent until this point," Zhou Haoran said slowly upon seeing their expressions.
"Hypocrite? Sect Master Zhou, you are likely referring to yourself," as soon as Zhou Haoran finished speaking, a deep voice echoed throughout the entire Imperial Beast Sect. Then, a figure in white slowly appeared before Zhou Haoran and the others.
"Holy Son Li Xuan!"
Upon seeing the arrival of the person, Zhou Haoran and Wang Fan's expressions changed drastically. After exchanging glances, they immediately bowed to Li Xuan.
At the Grand Assembly of the Seven Saints and Ten Sages, Zhou Haoran and Wang Fan had personally witnessed Li Xuan becoming a Holy Son. Seeing Li Xuan now, they recognized him instantly.
"We did not anticipate the Holy Son's esteemed presence, and we are deeply sorry for not welcoming you sooner. We hope Holy Son Li Xuan can forgive our oversight." Although Li Xuan was only the Holy Son of a single peak, his status within the Azure Hall was quite significant.
Even though Zhou Haoran was a Sect Master, Li Xuan's status was considerably higher than Zhou Haoran's.
"Oh?" Li Xuan chuckled at this, glancing at Zhou Haoran and the others with a slight frown before speaking, "Judging by the formation of your group, Sect Master Zhou, are you intending to deal with me?"
"Where do you get such an idea, Holy Son Li Xuan? We simply knew you were coming and specifically came to welcome you," Chen Jian quickly replied.
They had initially thought the arriving Li Xuan was not the Li Xuan from the Azure Hall, but since it was him in person, everyone present had no choice but to treat him with respect.
"With so many of you here, won't you introduce me?" Li Xuan said, glancing around the crowd.
Although Zhou Haoran was somewhat confused as to why Li Xuan would be interested in the people around him, he directly began the introductions. "This is Wang Fan, the Grand Elder of our Imperial Beast Sect. Beside him is our Second Elder, Wu Sheng. And this is Chen Jian, the Grand Elder of our Outer Sect. Since Holy Son Li Xuan has traveled from afar, why not come into the sect and take a seat?"
"Sect Master Zhou, since you are hosting me with such grand reception, I, Li Xuan, will naturally accept this favor. However, to my knowledge, does your Imperial Beast Sect not have a Third Elder?" Li Xuan asked.
"Third Elder? Holy Son Li Xuan's news is indeed well-informed. Our sect does indeed have a Third Elder. However, the Third Elder is currently in seclusion and likely unreachable for Holy Son Li Xuan," Zhou Haoran replied, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes before he nodded to Li Xuan.
After hearing Zhou Haoran's answer, Li Xuan frowned slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "So that's how it is. Since Sect Master Zhou has so kindly invited me, I shall not refuse. Sect Master Zhou, please."
"Holy Son Li Xuan, please," Zhou Haoran said, stepping aside.
Inside the grand hall of the Imperial Beast Sect.
After Li Xuan took his seat, Zhou Haoran and the others also sat down, looking towards Li Xuan, their expressions a mixture of hesitation as they looked at Zhou Haoran.
Zhou Haoran let out a wry smile and then asked Li Xuan, "May I know the purpose of Holy Son Li Xuan's visit this time?"
"Did the disciples who returned with the report not tell you?" Li Xuan sneered. Since he had personally captured a city lord from the Imperial Beast Sect, Zhou Haoran and the others must be aware of it.
Zhou Haoran looked somewhat embarrassed at Chen Jian and the others before replying, "According to the report from our disciples, someone under the Imperial Beast Sect disrespected Holy Son Li Xuan and was captured by you. We are unaware of the specific reasons behind this matter."
"May I ask Holy Son Li Xuan, did that Dongfang Xiao do anything to offend you? If it was truly Dongfang Xiao's fault, we will not let him off the hook, and our sect is willing to apologize to Holy Son Li Xuan."
Li Xuan was taken aback. It seemed Zhou Haoran was unaware of the matter of raising blood fetuses, or perhaps Zhou Haoran and the others were hiding it too well.
With this thought, Li Xuan's heart stirred, and he smiled faintly, "That Dongfang Xiao, relying on the might of your Imperial Beast Sect, made a move against me and has already been disciplined. However, I feel this person has wicked intentions, so I specifically paid a visit to the Eastern Wall City under his jurisdiction."
As Li Xuan spoke, he carefully observed the expressions of the people in the room. Li Xuan was confident that not the slightest change in expression from anyone in the hall would escape his eyes.
However, to Li Xuan's surprise, even at this point, everyone's expression, apart from curiosity, showed no sign of any anomaly.
"Could it be that these people were not the ones who secretly instigated this?" Looking at Zhou Haoran's expressions, Li Xuan became perplexed.
The individuals present in the hall were all capable of mobilizing the sect's resources. Yet, each of them seemed unrelated to the matter of raising blood fetuses.
"Holy Son Li Xuan, did you discover anything within Eastern Wall City?" Hearing Li Xuan pause midway, Zhou Haoran asked with confusion.
Just then, Wang Fan spoke up, "This old man surmises that Eastern Wall City must have been a place of peace and prosperity, otherwise, why would Holy Son Li Xuan have come to our Imperial Beast Sect alone?"
Zhou Haoran and the others nodded slightly. After all, according to the previous intelligence, Li Xuan had captured Dongfang Xiao. And now, Li Xuan had come alone.
"Do you, Sect Master Zhou, and everyone else, not know whether Eastern Wall City is a place of peace and prosperity?" Li Xuan suddenly recalled everything that had happened in Eastern Wall City, his expression turning somewhat cold.
Sensing Li Xuan's chill, Zhou Haoran immediately said, "We are unaware of Holy Son Li Xuan's meaning. Please enlighten us, Holy Son Li Xuan."
Li Xuan thought for a moment, then with a thought, he said, "May I ask Sect Master Zhou and all of you, what is your stance on sorcery?"