Seth once again arrived at the meeting hall. This time, he expected those Palace Masters to see him in a different light, possibly even commending him for his deed. But just as he entered, following behind Yushui, he noticed a very heavy atmosphere around the whole room.
Palace Master Shanhu together with the Sixth and Seventh Palace Masters, were standing in the middle of the meeting hall, while the others were sitting in silence in their seats. Even the Hua sisters had a troubled expression on their faces.
Like the other times, Lan Xue was still not present, but it was a matter of time until she arrived.
Seth wasn't the only one that noticed how strange that situation was. Palace Master Yushui furrowed her eyebrows, thinking Shanhu may have done something.
Actually, she was right. Shanhu had just told them a piece of information she had discovered, but this information was something she could never imagine what it really was.
.
The Tenth Palace Master Shanhu, eyed Seth but turned to talk with Yushui first.
"Palace Master Yushui, I could never imagine you would be that shameless. Do you really have no shame to do this? Even though the Sect has given you so manmy things..."
Yushui didn't understand why was Shanhu talking with her like that. In a fit of rage, she almost released her aura, but before doing that, she realized none of the Palace Masters were doing or saying anything. That's why because most of them were just as confisused as her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Heh! Are you playing dumb now? I'm talking about him!" She pointed towards Seth.
Seth was caught off guard. He didn't expect trouble would find him even though he didn't do anything all this while.
'Maybe they discovered about that?' He started to think about a thousand and one possible things, but he doubted it really was for any one of them, except for one.
"Did Seth do anything?"
"Ahaha... Not only he did, but you are his accomplice on this matter. Heh, you knew about it, right? About the girl he asked you to take care of, right?"
Seth suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. It turned out the thing she was talking about was related to Meiyi. It was one thing if they were to target him, but if they were to target Meiyi, then he wouldn't just stand there and do nothing.
"What about her?" Seth asked with a serious countenance.
"Tch! You clearly knew about our enmity with the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary, yet you brought one of them inside here! Oh! Maybe you are one of them as well, am I right?" Shanhu said, thinking she was unmasking him before everyone.
Yushui turned to look at Seth, not knowing how to respond to that.
The Hua sisters didn't know if Yushui was guilty or not in this situation, while all the others, pretty much had a very solemn expression while hearing that.
"Why are you bringing that up? I'm not one of them and even though Meiyi has their bloodline, she has never been there even once. So, she is not one of them too."
Seth thought he was retorting her arguments, but he had just admited Meiyi was really from the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary, right in front all of them.
"See! It's real! Shanhu was right!" The Seventh and Sixth palace Master started to make things even more difficult for them.
"You must be one of them too! We cannot trust any of your words." Shanhu released her Profound Mana aura, trying to pressure Seth down and take him off guard.
It all escalated to a very tense situation very quickly. No one knew what to do or how to properly proceed. Not even Yushui, since she was completely lost in all of this.
However, Seth, the one being pressured down, didn't feel even a tiny bit of pressure. But his countenance changed and he got ready for a battle. He was about to release his aura and make it clash against her aura, when suddenly, he felt Palace Master Shanhu's aura lessening and vanishing. That ocean-like pressure thoroughly disapeared as if it didn't even exist.
From the entrance, a petite form walked unhurriedly. The temperature of the whole room dropped down after Lan Xue arrived.
"You can all stop with this."
"Palace Master Lan Xue... This man has deceived us, bringing a descendant of that cursed bloodline here." Just as Palace Master Shanhu said those words, Lan Xue released her whole cultivation base, making a frigid pressure fall over everybody.
Everyone started to unconsciously tremble just by the fearful aura she was releasing.
"Listen. I heard everything and I am aware that the girl is from the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary. But if any of you touch her, I will rip off your rights of being a Palace Master." After finishing her speech, she stopped exerting pressure on them.
None of the Palace Master understood why Lan Xue was protecting the guest, protecting an enemy. But she was doing it nonetheless.
Lan Xue arrived in the middle of the room and continued: "Even though he brought someone from the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary here, he had just saved the Lake Moher's life. I don't want to see anyone doing anything against him and his people."
Palace Master Shanhu thought Lan Xue was getting insane, but she couldn't do anything. Even though she didn't like Yushui, she respected Lan Xue and had to obey her.
Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of very weak and slow steps coming towards the meeting room. When they turned to look at who was coming, they saw the face of a very old woman that was impressively already able to stand up and walk. While she was coming, the tense atmosphere seemed to return back to a normal one.
"Lake Mother!"
"The Lake Mother is here!"
"How is she already able to walk?!"
The Palace Masters got amazed after seeing her face.
"Little Xue... You should tell them. They have the rights of knowing why you are acting like that." The words the Lake Mother said, were just like a grandmother talking with her granddaughter.
Everyone looked towards Lan Xue, not understanding what she was talking about and why she was talking that way with her.
"Sigh... I guess you're right. Palace Master Shanhu, please don't think I am acting against you or targeting you like how you do with Palace Master Yushui..."
Palace Master Shanhu got flustered and replied: "I'd never think that!"
"Everyone, listen. The reason I'm taking Seth's side, is because not only I've already analyzed that girl and seen she had no prior connections with the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary, but also because her condition is very similar to mine."
"???"
"What are you talking about, Palace Master Lan Xue?"
"I'm not from the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary, but I have their bloodline running in my veins."
Boom!
All the Palace Master got shocked by her revelation.
"H-How's that possible? You're clearly a descendant of the deceased Glazed Lake Sect Master!" Hua Jing was so shocked, that she didn't realize she was being a bit impolite.
However, no one was preoccupied with politeness now, but with what Lan Xue had to say.
"Yeah. My mother was indeed the Glazed Lake Sect Master back then, but my father was someone from the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary. The only difference from me and her, is that my bloodline was supressed and will never awaken."
"What???"
Everyone was lost thinking about how messy was that situation, when the Lake Mother decided to say some things.
"Little Xue is actually, my granddaughter. It may seem a bit strange but I want you all to listen to an old story. Back then, her mother fell in love with the younger brother of the Current Sanctuary Master of the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary. At that time, he was not the Sanctuary Master and had less power and control over the things. His younger brother sneaked outside and accidently met my daughter. After some adventures together, they fell in love without anyone knowing."
She stopped a bit to look at her granddaughter, before continuing: "Some years later, his older brother turned into the Sanctuary Master, controlling the Sect with an iron fist. He did not permit their relationship to go on, arresting his own brother inside the sanctuary. Since little Xue's father didn't want to cause a conflict between the two sects, he decided to go back without any resistance. However, at that time, my daughter had already given birth to little Xue and the real motive he decided to go, was to not attract any attention towards her."
The Lake Mother seemed a bit sad while remembering the past. Those were problematic times.
"A certain day, she heard some news about little Xue's father being dead and decided to check it by herself. I warned her by the possibility of it being a trap, but she did not hear me. She immediately gave up the position of Glazed Lake Master and tried to rush towards the Illusive Ethereal Sanctuary by herself. Just like little Xue's father, she didn't want to throw the two sects in a dreadful war because of them."
Everyone stood silent, hearing about the real motive behind the origin of the animosity between the two Higher Grounds.
"I ran after her, not letting her go alone and together, we were able to acquire the information she wanted, but I ended up receiving the injuries that tormented me to this day. Unfortunately, little Xue's father really died. He died after failing their full inheritance test."
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