Chapter 936: The Past
If things really came to that point,
What the Wind Snow Palace would have to sacrifice would certainly not be just this composite grand formation.
Even if the Wind Snow Palace emptied its accumulated resources over the years, it would still be unable to achieve what it has done today.
Of course,
Whether the Yi Yang Sect's external attitude will drastically change remains mere speculation among outsiders.
Thus, Elder Huanxue's actions could be seen as a gamble.
He was betting that by offering this composite formation, he could fully demonstrate the Wind Snow Palace's stance to the Yi Yang Sect.
Following this, the Yi Yang Sect would naturally treat the Wind Snow Palace differently than other Nascent Soul upper sects.
In the future, if the Wind Snow Palace were to suffer another invasion by the Northern Demonic Path,
The Yi Yang Sect might assist the Wind Snow Palace out of consideration for this matter and subsequent cooperation.
As the matter drew to a close,
He Song and Elder Huanxue continued their idle chat.
Afterwards,
He Song casually inquired, seemingly offhandedly, whether he could take someone away from the Wind Snow Palace.
He Song's arrival had two purposes:
The first was to learn from Elder Huanxue how he had managed to avoid detection during his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.
This matter was resolved after He Song obtained the composite formation from Elder Huanxue.
Not only that, but He Song also gained significant benefits.
Under these circumstances, the matter was considered successfully concluded.
Thus, after the matter ended,
He Song's second purpose—to take An Ning away—naturally surfaced.
Taking An Ning away from the Wind Snow Palace and having her serve him in Zetian Capital, where he currently resided,
Had already been He Song's plan.
Moreover, He Song had already communicated with An Ning, and she agreed to follow his arrangements.
Under these conditions,
He Song naturally raised the matter with Elder Huanxue upon arriving at the Wind Snow Palace.
However,
He Song's words caused Elder Huanxue's face to briefly flash with confusion.
Cang Songzi wants to take someone from the Wind Snow Palace?
Who?
Could it be one of the talented disciples who caught Cang Songzi's attention and whom he wishes to take as a disciple?
But,
The disciples of the Wind Snow Palace, although indeed a few of them had exceptional talent,
Their spiritual roots were at most approaching the level of a true earth root cultivator.
Not a single true earth root cultivator had appeared.
Such spiritual root qualifications, even for Cang Songzi, were not worth excessive effort.
They only needed to be cultivated like ordinary geniuses.
Thus,
No matter how hard Elder Huanxue tried to think, he couldn't understand why He Song would make such a request.
Could it be that he genuinely thought there was someone among these disciples who matched his preferences?
Flashing through various thoughts, a hint of a smile soon appeared on Elder Huanxue's face.
"Are you interested in one of my talented disciples?"
"By rights, the talented disciples of the sect have received substantial nurturing from our Wind Snow Palace. Much effort and resources have been invested."
"They should not be handed over to anyone."
"However, since you have greatly helped our Wind Snow Palace this time,"
"I will reluctantly part with one."
"But I wonder, which disciple have you taken a liking to?"
"How did this disciple catch your eye?"
Knowing he had already given away a precious formation, Elder Huanxue realized he couldn't offend He Song at this moment.
Thus, despite his resistance, he didn't lose his temper but instead pretended curiosity and asked about the origin of the matter.
According to his thinking, the talented disciples of the Wind Snow Palace were hidden rather securely.
Outsiders likely had no knowledge of their existence, let alone their names.
Yet, here He Song was, asking for someone right away.
Naturally, Elder Huanxue first thought of betrayal, imagining someone had informed others about the details of these disciples.
Otherwise, how could Cang Songzi possibly know about these talented disciples?
Elder Huanxue's words seemed casual, but if he truly learned anything from He Song,
He would likely launch an intense retaliation against the betrayer.
Unfortunately,
Elder Huanxue misunderstood He Song's intentions this time.
He Song's target was not actually one of the young talents in the Wind Snow Palace.
Instead, it was a highly-ranked Gold Core elder in the Wind Snow Palace.
Moreover, this Gold Core elder had been personally sent to the Wind Snow Palace by He Song many years ago.
Thus, after hearing Elder Huanxue's words,
A hint of helplessness crossed He Song's face.
"No, no."
"The person I seek is not a talented disciple of the Wind Snow Palace."
"It is a Gold Core elder."
Hearing this, He Song paused briefly and looked at Elder Huanxue.
Seeing this, Elder Huanxue's expression fluctuated upon hearing He Song's words.
It was unclear what he was thinking.
But seeing this, He Song didn't keep it mysterious. Instead, he quickly continued, explaining the matter.
"Many years ago, my cultivation was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment."
"At that time, I was just a small cultivator in the Gold Core sect, Thick Soil Sect."
"However, Thick Soil Sect faced the demonic path directly, and the outside world was unstable."
"After some thought, I decided to explore the central region of Yunzhou."
"However, during this exploration, I accidentally met a Qi Condensation cultivator along the way."
"This Qi Condensation cultivator helped me greatly, and we became quite close."
"Alas,"
"Many years later, this Qi Condensation cultivator ultimately failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."
"And at the end of her life span, she accepted a disciple."
"This disciple followed her closely for many years, and their bond was exceptionally deep."
"Therefore, before she passed away, she entrusted this disciple to me."
"And she said,"
"Please grant her a chance to enter the Foundation Establishment stage."
"Subsequently, I went to great lengths to find a Foundation Establishment pill for her disciple."
"Luckily, this person succeeded in breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage on her first attempt."
"Alas,"
"At that time, my cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and my sect was merely a Gold Core one."
"Furthermore, the Thick Soil Sect was a place full of upheaval and not a place to linger long."
"Therefore, I took her eastward and eventually entered the territory of a sect called Wind Snow Palace."
"After some investigation, confirming this Wind Snow Palace was suitable for her cultivation,"
"I sent her into the Wind Snow Palace to continue her practice."
Looking at the suddenly enlightened Elder Huanxue before him,
Elder Huanxue's gaze became filled with emotion after comprehending.
"You mean to say,"
"This child has progressed smoothly in the Wind Snow Palace and has already reached the Gold Core stage."
"And is one of the few Gold Core Great Perfection cultivators in our Wind Snow Palace?"
"Your noble conduct is admirable."
"Only by a word from a friend have you reached such heights."
"Not only did you send her to the Foundation Establishment stage, but you also selected a Gold Core sect for her, ensuring her smooth progress in cultivation."
"Furthermore, after achieving success in your own cultivation, you came here to bring her to your side, giving her a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."
"Such deeds are beyond admiration."
"Regardless of whom you wish to take today, I have no objections, merely wishing to complete this story."
After a deep look at He Song, Elder Huanxue solemnly spoke and then began pondering who this person might be.
However, upon hearing He Song's words, He Song also felt moved.
Thus, before Elder Huanxue could deduce who this person was,
He Song had already spoken directly.
"Noble sir,"
"Today's matter, I owe you a favor."
"In the future, if you have any requests, feel free to inform me."
"As long as it does not endanger my life, I will certainly assist you."
"The person I wish to take is named An Ning."
"Currently, her cultivation has reached the Gold Core Great Perfection stage."
"She has been in the Wind Snow Palace for many years."
Upon saying this, He Song sighed inwardly.
It was still the fault of her strength.
Back then, if He Song's cultivation had already reached the Nascent Soul stage,
He would never have sent An Ning to the Wind Snow Palace.
However, after He Song's words spread,
A look of sudden realization appeared on Elder Huanxue's face.
An Ning.
To him, she was fairly familiar.
Years ago, after successfully breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage and returning to the Wind Snow Palace,
He had conducted a thorough review of the many disciples in the Wind Snow Palace at that time.
Naturally, An Ning's presence had caught his attention.
An Ning had joined the Wind Snow Palace only after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Such a background was naturally inferior compared to those born and raised in the Wind Snow Palace.
However, at that time, the Wind Snow Palace had just risen from a Gold Core sect to a Nascent Soul upper sect.
All the original members of the Wind Snow Palace had been regarded as absolute core members by Elder Huanxue.
These were the first batch of usable personnel for the Wind Snow Palace.
Thus, despite An Ning's somewhat awkward position, she eventually received Elder Huanxue's cultivation.
With Elder Huanxue's help, An Ning successfully broke through to the Gold Core stage and became one of the initial Gold Core elders in the Wind Snow Palace.
Afterwards, An Ning worked diligently in the Wind Snow Palace, and her cultivation path was not slow.
She also participated in the righteous and demonic wars and performed outstandingly.
Such a person naturally counted as a core member in Elder Huanxue's eyes.
Who would have thought,
This person had old ties with Cang Songzi.
Leading to Cang Songzi, after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage and gaining immense strength, coming here to take her back.
Flashing through memories of An Ning,
And confirming that the Wind Snow Palace had not mistreated her and that she harbored no resentment towards the Wind Snow Palace,
Elder Huanxue breathed a huge sigh of relief.
But immediately afterward,
The thought of losing such a core member of the sect caused Elder Huanxue a pang of pain.
The resources An Ning had consumed in the Wind Snow Palace over the years were no small sum.
From breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage to advancing from the initial Gold Core stage to the current Gold Core Great Perfection stage,
The resources An Ning had consumed on her long cultivation journey were immense.
These were all resources from the Wind Snow Palace.
If these resources were used to cultivate others,
They might produce another Gold Core Great Perfection cultivator.
Facing this situation, Elder Huanxue naturally felt disheartened.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this.
Cang Songzi dared to mention owing him a favor?
Reflecting on He Song's earlier mention of the favor, Elder Huanxue suddenly felt less pained.
In fact, he even felt he wasn't losing out; he might have gained something.
After all, obtaining a favor from a Nascent Soul cultivator wasn't easy.
With He Song's words,
Even if he encountered difficulties in the future, he could send He Song a letter.
Moreover, He Song's identity was no simple matter.
He Song had excellent relations with the Yi Yang Sect and could even represent the two Nascent Soul cultivators of the Yi Yang Sect.
In this case, gaining He Song's favor could be seen as gaining a favor from the Yi Yang Sect.
In this way, if the Wind Snow Palace were to encounter trouble in the future,
Sending He Song a letter might truly save the Wind Snow Palace.
With such thoughts in mind,
Elder Huanxue's face gradually revealed a smile.
"So the person you mentioned is Junior An Ning."
"This makes sense."
"Junior An Ning's cultivation in the Wind Snow Palace has been quite smooth."
"I've long sensed that this Junior An Ning would be remarkable in the future."
"I didn't expect her to have contact with you."
"In this case, it seems my previous thoughts were correct."
"Junior An Ning's achievements in the future will undoubtedly be extraordinary."
"Rest assured, I'll call her here momentarily to bid farewell to our Wind Snow Palace, and then she can leave with you."
After speaking, Elder Huanxue casually retrieved a token.
Then he extended his divine sense and did something unknown to the token.
Soon after, he stored the token and gestured for the two to wait.
Thus,
Soon,
An Ning's figure appeared from outside, coming straight to He Song and Elder Huanxue.
Standing below the two,
An Ning realized what was about to happen upon entering the area.
Thus, after seeing the scene, An Ning quickly bowed to the two present.
End of Chapter