Chapter Eighty-Six: The Gift of Elder Six

Chen Qi finally saw the old man clearly: dressed in a gorgeous purple brocade robe embroidered with golden cloud patterns, his graceful and noble air left no doubt that he was a high-ranking inner sect elder of the Cloud Sea Sect.

The old man’s hair was still jet-black, and his brows had been meticulously groomed, revealing a hint of his former handsomeness. He was clearly a man who cared deeply about his image. He stared at Chen Qi, and after a few seconds of thought, as if recalling something, he spoke in an aged yet powerful voice:

"You must be the outer sect disciple Chen Qi, right? I am Duan Hai, the Sixth Elder of the Cloud Sea Sect, here specifically to rescue you all."

Without waiting for Chen Qi to offer a formal greeting, the elder’s tone turned urgent: "Have you seen your Senior Sister Yun? The inner sect disciple who led you into the mountains this time—her safety is of great importance to our sect."

When Chen Qi realized the elder’s identity and purpose, a surge of irrepressible joy welled up in his heart. Just as he was about to plead for help, a question suddenly struck him: "Could this elder be the traitor that Zhao Fan mentioned?"

This question concerned their very lives; it was a matter of extreme gravity. At this thought, Chen Qi’s breath hitched. Maintaining an expression of excitement, he made a swift, decisive choice. He bowed again and pleaded with an air of desperation:

"Senior Sister Yun held off the enemy’s Marquis Yunshan alone to buy me a chance at survival. I beg you, Elder, go quickly to search for her! Every second counts!"

Driven by an inexplicable emotion, Chen Qi spoke with heartfelt sincerity. As his pace grew faster, his anxiety became palpable. The elder looked at him with a moved expression and continued to ask:

"So it was Marquis Yunshan? That is no surprise. Where do you think your Senior Sister Yun might be now?"

Chen Qi feigned deep thought, while internally grappling with another question: "Is this elder truly the traitor? Can I trust him? Perhaps... maybe... he is a good man?"

But he immediately crushed these childish thoughts. Between trusting others and trusting himself, he chose himself without hesitation. Unless forced by necessity, he would never place his life in the hands of another. Chen Qi had always been such a decisive person.

He continued to act as if he were deep in thought for a few seconds, then smiled bitterly and said to the Sixth Elder:

"Forgive my bluntness, Elder, but I fear that given the vast disparity in strength between my Senior Sister and Marquis Yunshan, she may have already..."

Duan Hai waved a hand, cutting him off with a trace of impatience: "The sect can naturally confirm she is still alive. Just tell me in which direction she is most likely to have gone."

Chen Qi frowned, feigning a calm analysis: "Could it be... that Senior Sister Yun has been captured?"

Duan Hai listened carefully and nodded slowly: "That is a possibility. Elder Chi has already continued the pursuit to the south, hoping to catch up before Marquis Yunshan leaves these southern mountains. I shall head east to see!"

Duan Hai sighed, and as he prepared to leave, he suddenly thought of something. He pulled a token from his robes and tossed it to Chen Qi. Chen Qi caught it instinctively, and before he could ask, Duan Hai explained:

"This is a token containing a trace of my aura. Carry it, and ordinary savage beasts will not approach you. Should you encounter true danger, you may crush it to release the few martial techniques I have recorded within. Furthermore, I will be alerted to your situation."

Without another glance at Chen Qi, Duan Hai leaped into the air and vanished from view within moments, leaving no trace behind. Chen Qi held the token, staring at the spot where the elder had stood. A branch as thin as a pinky finger swayed gently in the wind, as if it had forgotten it had just borne the weight of a man.

The sight made Chen Qi take a deep breath, filled with envy. He, too, wanted to one day tread upon thin twigs or falling leaves, drifting through the air with such ease. How cool that would be! Back on Earth, it would certainly have dropped jaws and stolen the headlines from any celebrity.

Chen Qi did not immediately return to the rock crevice where Yun Tianxin was hiding. Instead, he fiddled with the token. It was about the size of a palm, solid red, and surprisingly heavy—weighing several dozen pounds. It was engraved with strange patterns, and several powerful auras seemed to cling to it, as if ready to erupt at any moment.

With just one glance, Chen Qi knew this token was far more precious than the [Cloud Sea Sword Seal] he kept in his storage space, which he had yet to find a use for. It was likely worth at least five or six hundred contribution points. Rather than recklessly putting it into his "Germination Space" storage, he waited for the space to appraise it.

After holding it for a few minutes, the token finally glowed with a purple light visible only to Chen Qi. Simultaneously, its attributes appeared on his retina:

[Spirit-Splitting Mysterious Seal]
Origin: Cangxing Continent
Quality: Purple
Category: Special Item
Effect 1: The holder of this item will have their aura continuously collected by the master controller of the main seal.
Effect 2: Upon activation, it releases the martial techniques stored within. Its power depends on the strength of the recorder and inflicts 2–5 seconds of intimidation on surrounding life forms (depending on the target's intelligence).
Effect 3: Upon activation, the spiritual consciousness within the token fully awakens, allowing the owner of that consciousness to perceive the surroundings for 15 seconds.
Note: This item will be destroyed after activation.
Rating: 310
Description: This token was originally mass-produced by a once-powerful sect for the protection of important disciples during their trials. Following the sect's destruction, it has gradually disappeared, remaining only in certain ruins.
Price: 3200 Universal Points

Chen Qi read the description over and over. A feeling began to rise within him: Was this Sixth Elder, Duan Hai, being too generous? Did this token have too many functions? Did the Sixth Elder have no children or disciples of his own to bestow this upon?

If their roles were reversed, Chen Qi knew he would never give such a precious item to a mere outer sect disciple. He would give him a [Cloud Sea Sword Seal] at most and tell him to be careful—nothing more.

With this thought, his suspicion deepened. He began to scrutinize every word. The only information he had was from the "Germination Space," and if he didn't fully understand it, he would be wasting his massive advantage.

After reading the attributes again, Chen Qi sensed a few problems. What did the "aura" in Effect 1 refer to? If he came into contact with others, would their auras be sensed by Duan Hai as well? Would the damage from Effect 2 affect friendly units nearby? And as for Effect 3, why would the Sixth Elder leave his spiritual consciousness behind? Even if Chen Qi were in a life-or-death crisis, what could these fifteen seconds be used for? Would it be for the Sixth Elder to gaze upon his corpse?

Questions surfaced like bubbles, impossible to suppress once they appeared. He grew restless, seized by a clear premonition: if he went to see Yun Tianxin now while carrying this item, the situation might change for the worse.

If the Sixth Elder were truly a traitor, what was he planning? Chen Qi changed his perspective, imagining the worst-case scenario. First, he could not destroy the token or put it into storage; a break in the aura might make Duan Hai suspicious. How could an ordinary outer sect disciple suddenly lose such a token? If he were Duan Hai, he would certainly come back to check.

"That path is a dead end. Then, this token..." A thought struck Chen Qi, and he hit upon the best way to handle it.

"This, at least, is reasonable."

With that, Chen Qi’s figure shot up, and he vanished from the spot.