Listening to what Mei Chao Bing had to say, Elder Baili’s face paled. For a moment, he wasn’t sure how to react. This matter, now that he said it, it sounded logical as if this really was the explanation they had been looking for all the time.

He gulped and finally grabbed Mei Chao Bing by the arm. "You might be right. Let’s go … go and talk this over with Elder Xing. As for the others …" He looked at them but finally shook his head. "You wait here first and keep an eye on Xiao Lin and young Shen. We can’t let any detail escape our eyes right now. If this is really what the other side is trying to do, then we need to figure out what the method is. Maybe there’s still a way of preventing this."

The others nodded but Yun Bei Fen jumped to his feet, clearly wanting to follow along.

Elder Baili hastily shook his head and reached out, rubbing Yun Bei Fen’s head. "You stay here as well, Fen’er. Make sure your third senior martial brother is alright."

Yun Bei Fen looked at him with wide eyes, not wanting to be separated from Mei Chao Bing again.

While Elder Baili was trying to think of something else to say, Zhi Guan stepped forward and put his hands on Yun Bei Fen’s shoulders. "You stay here. He’ll return in a bit." He looked at his Master and nodded before glancing at Mei Chao Bing. Clearly, there was something else going through his Master’s mind. Something that meant that he didn’t want anybody else but Mei Chao Bing and maybe Elder Xing there. He had no idea what it was but he trusted his Master. As such, he didn’t insist on accompanying them and instead tried to hold his little junior back.

Yun Bei Fen still wasn’t happy but he only reached out in the end and hugged Mei Chao Bing’s waist for a moment before giving him a look. "You have to come back soon!"

Mei Chao Bing leaned down and kissed his temple, nodding faintly. "Of course. I won’t take long."

Yun Bei Fen nodded and then stepped back, going to hug his first senior martial brother instead. He really didn’t want to separate from his fiance but he also realized that he needed to.

Meanwhile, Mei Chao Bing and Elder Baili stepped outside. Mei Chao Bing couldn’t help but look at the Elder, having similar thoughts as Zhi Guan. He wasn’t sure if he should ask though, wondering if now was really the right moment for that. It didn’t seem like the Elder wanted to explain it. In the end, he just silently followed him to Elder Xing’s courtyard.

Seeing the two of them arrive, Elder Xing couldn’t help but worry. "Did something happen?" He immediately got up from his seat at the desk where he had been brooding over a map of the border region, as well as the information that the older disciples had brought back, trying to figure out what was going on.

Elder Baili sat down, sighed deeply, and then rubbed his forehead. "You could say it like this. Mei Chao Bing might have figured out what the other side is planning to do. Well, at least part of that."

Elder Xing stared at him and then turned to Mei Chao Bing who also took a seat.

The Elders might not have invited him to do so, but at this moment, he felt that it would be too awkward to stand around.

Elder Baili nodded, confirming his words. "Before he tells you, let me tell you what happened last night. I’m afraid that this will be necessary to understand." Introducing the matter like that, Baili Chao hurriedly summarized what had happened with Luo Lin.

Considering that they had stayed at the side of the two disciples the whole time before everyone finally went to get a bit of rest, Elder Xing hadn’t heard yet. When Elder Baili finished, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows. "I’m glad that your disciple is alright. Although I have to say that I still don’t get what this has to do with the other side. Clearly, they couldn’t have intended this?"

For a moment, Elder Baili and Mei Chao Bing kept silent, their thoughts churning. In fact, could it be that they had intended this? Maybe they had wanted to lure the Zhen Yan Sect into taking out the red priest’s blood to save one of the disciples?

But then, among the two disciples that had survived for sure, one had gotten back to the sect by himself, clearly not having been injured that heavily, while the other one had barely made it. And clearly, Taishu Min had hesitated about whether she should take the blood out or not. So really, if this had been their plan, it would’ve been executed rather sloppily. Neither of them thought that this was how Elder Feng would go about things.

In the end, it was Mei Chao Bing who shook his head. "Not quite like that." Instead, he explained his previous conjecture.

Elder Xing’s expression turned worse and worse the more he heard. "If you’re right, then it might already be too late. Attaining two of these abilities will make them tough to deal with. The reason why our four great sects have the place in the world today that they have is thanks to these guardians. If they were able to replicate all of their abilities … I don’t even want to think how strong they could become. And considering that all the demonic sects have allied with each other … This doesn’t bode well."

Elder Baili nodded. "Indeed, and to be honest, I can’t help but think that maybe matters are even worse. I have some reason to believe that there is a certain possibility, that even our Teng Yong Sect’s black warrior’s ability to see the future has already been acquired by them."