Chapter 115 Thousand-feather Order (2/2)
The four of them then took their leave. Excluding the forest of peach trees yesterday, Xiao Chen had the inexplicable feeling that something was off with this village. After climbing onto the Flying-cloud Stone and traveling for several miles, he turned around. However, he couldn't see the forest of peach trees and the village no matter how hard he looked.
It wasn't until noon that the Flying-cloud Stone reached the boundary of Qing Province. The province wasn't a city; rather, it was the collective name for adjacent cities. Southeast of the province was a mountain range that extended forever into the distance. One of the mountains was a lofty, majestic one that soared straight into the skies. It was the home to the Jade Qing Sect.
After reaching the feet of the mountain, Xiao Chen looked up and saw white jade stairs that seemed to lead straight to the firmament. The sides of the stairs were adorned with pine and cypress. Many palaces atop islands hovered high above through the support of mystic arts. This place was countless times larger than the Teal Jade Sect. It looked just like a miniature Mystic Cyan Sect.
After climbing about a thousand steps, they found themselves still a considerable distance away from the mountain gate square. However, green clouds had gradually risen all around them. In the distance, green mountains overlapped to form a continuous range. Herons would flit across from time to time, leaving behind white feathers in their wake.
The quartet only made it up to the top of the stairs after approximately 15 minutes. When they looked up, they saw a memorial arch carved out of jade at the mountain gate with the words of ”Jade Qing Sect” on it. The arch glistened under the sunlight.
Two young Taoists flanked the memorial arch. When they saw the quartet, they immediately said respectfully, ”Senior Brother Yu.” Yu Yifeng nodded at them. ”Is Master inside the hall?”
The Taoist on the left replied, ”Master has been waiting in the Harmonious Radiance Hall after finding out that Senior Brother Yu is returning today.” He gestured for them to go in.
”Alright.” Yu Yifeng nodded and addressed the one behind him. ”Xiao Chen, let's enter the main hall first. Master is very kind so you don't have to be nervous later.” Xiao Chen chuckled and followed him in.
The Jade Qing Sect covered a vast expanse of ground and boasted of countless halls and pavilions. Xiao Chen spotted two of the most magnificent halls. The one in the east was called the Harmonious Radiance Hall while the one in the west was the Similarly Mortal Hall. The two main halls were like reflections of each other and could be considered the throne hall of immortals.
Upon entering the Harmonious Radiance Hall, they saw an elderly man that emanated the air of an immortal seated at the central spot of the hall. Flanking him was two child Taoists, with one holding a horsetail whisk and the other holding an Eight Divinatory Trigram Sword. The elderly man sat upright and still. His eyes were limpid like a fairy and he subconsciously emitted a sense of magnificence. However, the beard under his chin was a little sparse.
Seated in a line on both sides of the hall were the Elders and young disciples of the Jade Qing Sect. Yu Yifeng speedily walked into the hall and bowed in greeting to the elderly man seated in the central spot. Then, he introduced Xiao Chen and Luo Shangyan behind him.
The elderly man was none other than the Sect Leader of Jade Qing Sect, Perfected Immortal Qing Chen. He wore a faint smile and nodded at them, not losing the manners of an elder. ”So it's Changfeng's heir and Zi Xu's disciple. Please take a seat, you two.” Then he addressed Mu Chengxue. ”Ms. Mu, please take a seat too.”
Xiao Chen, Luo Shangyan, and Mu Chengxue immediately returned the greetings and followed Yu Yifeng to sit down on the left of the hall. Yu Yifeng asked, ”I'm curious as to the reason you summoned me back this time, Master.”
With a faint nod, Perfected Immortal Qing Chen picked up a delicate feather from the table next to him. If one was observant, one would notice that the two words carved on the quill: ”Thousand-feather.”
”It's the Thousand-feather Order!” Yu Yifeng jumped to his feet.
Xiao Chen had never seen Yu Yifeng this solemn before. He asked in a quiet voice, ”Senior Brother Yifeng, what's Thousand-feather Order?” Being in front of everyone, he naturally couldn't refer to Yu Yifeng as Brother Yifeng due to etiquette. Yu Yifeng turned his head and explained, ”Junior Brother Xiao, you may not know this. There's a saying in Violet Manor that goes 'once a feather command is made, no one dares to disobey it'.”
”Oh?” A sliver of confusion crept into Xiao Chen's mind. He wondered what kind of person had the ability to command all Cultivators' sects with a single feather.
”It belongs to a sect named Thousand Feathers Sect within the Ancient Immortal Clan,” Yu Yifeng added.
”Thousand Feathers Sect!” Xiao Chen's expression changed as if he had thought of something. ”Thousand Feathers Sect, Thousand Feathers Sect... Qianyu Nishang (T/N: ”Qianyu” means Thousand Feathers”)!”