Venerable Kong Qing and Madam Min also stood up to see him off. Just as Venerable Kong Qing smiled and was about to say something.
His expression suddenly changed, a look of surprise appearing on his face, and then he said to Ning Fa:
"Fellow Daoist Ning, please wait a moment. Senior Brother Wuxin wishes to meet with you."
"Senior Brother Wuxin?" Ning Fa's heart jolted, and he quickly reacted, his eyes widening in surprise.
Because the Senior Brother Wuxin mentioned by Venerable Kong Qing was the Second Elder of the Heavenly Evolution Sect—Hermit Wuxin.
This was an established Great Cultivator who had been famous throughout the Five Spirits Sea for hundreds of years, with an immense reputation.
Ning Fa had heard before that for this trip to the Sky Furnace Fire Marsh, all three Great Cultivators of the Heavenly Evolution Sect, excluding the First Elder, had been dispatched.
However, he had never seen this Second Elder, Hermit Wuxin, appear. He hadn't expected that this person would want to see him now.
At that moment, Ning Fa felt a premonition and looked towards the hall door.
He saw someone walking in.
This person looked very young, appearing to be no older than twenty-something. He wore a white robe with silver trim, and on the front was a black lotus. He was gentle and refined, exceptionally handsome, but his eyes were filled with a sense of vicissitude.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Wuxin."
Upon seeing this person arrive, Venerable Kong Qing and Madam Min immediately stood up and said, their attitudes respectful.
"Fellow Daoist Wuxin," Ning Fa also greeted him, while secretly remaining vigilant.
Even with his current cultivation, he couldn't fully discern Hermit Wuxin's depth. He had a strong intuition that Hermit Wuxin's strength might be even greater than True Lord Tian Xu or the Mountain Lord of Lei Prison Mountain.
This could also be seen from the attitudes of Venerable Kong Qing and Madam Min.
Hermit Wuxin looked Ning Fa up and down. The depths of his eyes, like an ancient well, rippled with waves. Besides curiosity, there was also a hint of something inexplicable.
"Junior Brother Kong Qing, Junior Sister Min, please step out for a moment. I have something to discuss with Fellow Daoist Changning privately."
Hermit Wuxin said gently to the two of them.
Although Venerable Kong Qing and Madam Min were curious, they didn't say much more and took their leave.
Ning Fa and Hermit Wuxin took their seats. Hermit Wuxin casually cast a soundproof spiritual barrier, then smiled gently at Ning Fa, "Fellow Daoist Ning, are you curious why I specifically sought you out?"
Ning Fa nodded. He vaguely felt that if this person had come specifically to find him, it must be for something significant.
Hermit Wuxin's eyes flashed as he said, "I came to find you, Fellow Daoist Ning, because of your other identity, that of the Thunder Son of the Punishment Hall of Fu Ling Hall."
Hearing this, Ning Fa's eyebrows slightly twitched, his expression becoming a little solemn.
At this moment, Hermit Wuxin sighed again, "Who would have thought that Fu Ling Hall would scheme for Sun Peak for decades, only to end up making wedding clothes for others and finding themselves in a life-or-death situation.
Fellow Daoist Ning, you may not know yet that currently, of the three core figures of Fu Ling Hall—Tian Xu, Xuan Po, and Qiao Sheng—only Qiao Sheng has surrendered to Lei Prison Mountain. Tian Xu and Xuan Po have already perished.
In addition, many Nascent Soul Elders of Fu Ling Hall perished in Sun Peak, and some have long since surrendered to Lei Prison Mountain.
It can be said that in the ten thousand years since Fu Ling Hall was founded, it has never experienced such heavy casualties."
Upon hearing this, Ning Fa couldn't help but frown deeply as he looked at Hermit Wuxin.
He wasn't particularly surprised by the outcome for Tian Xu and Xuan Po. What astonished him was how Hermit Wuxin knew all this so clearly.
At this moment, Hermit Wuxin looked at him again and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Ning, do you know that I actually have another identity as well, which is... the Hall Master of the Heart Hall of Fu Ling Hall."
This simple statement caused Ning Fa's eyes to widen in utter shock, his heart churning like a stormy sea.
His first reaction was that Hermit Wuxin wasn't joking, or perhaps he was trying to trick him.
But given Hermit Wuxin's status and position, there was no need to lie about such a matter.
In fact, Ning Fa had long known that among the three great halls of Fu Ling Hall, the Heart Hall was the most mysterious.
Even Nascent Soul Elders like Murong Zhaoxue had no understanding of the Heart Hall, and didn't even know who was in it.
He never expected that the Hall Master of the Heart Hall would be the renowned Second Elder of the Heavenly Evolution Sect. This truly shocked Ning Fa immensely.
At the same time, he was also filled with great confusion.
Since Hermit Wuxin was the Hall Master of the Heart Hall of Fu Ling Hall, why hadn't he appeared at Sun Peak before?
With Hermit Wuxin's strength, if he had provided assistance, even if Yan Jingchen had broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage on the spot, Lei Prison Mountain would likely not have had a chance of winning.
What followed was an even more shocking statement from Hermit Wuxin.
He said with a solemn expression, "Fellow Daoist Ning, you may not know, but in reality, for the past ten thousand years, the Hall Master of the Heart Hall of Fu Ling Hall has always been the First Elder of our Heavenly Evolution Sect.
This is because the founding ancestor of Fu Ling Hall—Ancestor Juelei—was a disciple of our Heavenly Evolution Sect's founding ancestor. Or, more accurately, his nominal disciple.
Because Ancestor Juelei had once received great kindness from a mysterious expert named Daoist Tian Yan, whose final wish was for his Dao lineage to be passed down.
So, Ancestor Juelei specifically found the person most suited to inherit Daoist Tian Yan's lineage, our founding ancestor, and instructed him to establish the Heavenly Evolution Sect after achieving cultivation, thereby fulfilling Daoist Tian Yan's last wish.
At that time, Ancestor Juelei was also thinking ahead.
Although Fu Ling Hall had become a top-tier force due to his unparalleled strength in the Nine Dragons Sea and even the entire Human Realm, it had also drawn the combined opposition of other forces.
Ancestor Juelei felt that after his ascension or demise, Fu Ling Hall might face a Great Calamity.
He then specifically established the third major branch hall within Fu Ling Hall—the Heart Hall—and after discussing it with our founding ancestor, the Hall Master of the Heart Hall would always be the First Elder of the Heavenly Evolution Sect."
Ancestor Juelei had also specifically instructed that the Hall Master of Heart Hall could not interfere with any decisions made by Fu Ling Hall during normal times, but would only act as an overseer. They could only take action in two specific situations.
The first situation was if the subsequent Hall Master of Fu Ling Hall violated the rules of the hall and acted recklessly.
In such a case, the Hall Master of Heart Hall would have to step in, apprehend the individual, and select a new Hall Master.
The second situation was when Fu Ling Hall faced a crisis of life and death, the Hall Master of Heart Hall would also have to intervene to help Fu Ling Hall overcome the crisis.
And now, it was clearly the second situation, which was why he had to come forward.
In reality, this kind of secret matter had always only been known to the Hall Master of Fu Ling Hall and the First Elder of Heavenly Evolution Sect. Previously, the position of Hall Master of Heart Hall had always been held by the senior disciple.
However, two hundred years ago, the senior disciple entered a death seclusion, vowing not to emerge until he broke through to the Spirit Transformation realm.
Therefore, before he entered seclusion, he informed me of this matter and, with Tian Xu as a witness, appointed me as the Hall Master of Heart Hall."
As Hermit Wuxin finished speaking slowly, Ning Fa was already dumbfounded.
He never imagined that Fu Ling Hall and Heavenly Evolution Sect had such a deep connection!
No wonder ordinary Nascent Soul elders like Murong Zhaoxue had no idea. No one could have guessed this.
At this moment, Hermit Wuxin looked at Ning Fa again, his eyes flashing with divine light, and said, "Daoist Ning, do you know why I am telling you this?"
Ning Fa, still in shock, suddenly had a flash of inspiration in his mind, as if he had thought of something. His eyes couldn't help but reveal a look of shock.
At this moment, Hermit Wuxin sighed and said, "Previously, Tian Xu knew that his death was unavoidable, so he told me everything through secret means.
He also specifically stated that if Daoist Ning could successfully escape, I should find you and have you become the new Hall Master of Fu Ling Hall."
Upon hearing this, even though Ning Fa had already made some guesses, he was still immensely shocked.
He couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
A strange look flashed in Hermit Wuxin's eyes as he asked, "Daoist Ning, do you possess the Five Elements Thunder Body?"
As soon as Hermit Wuxin finished speaking, Ning Fa suddenly understood. It seemed that his actions back then had already been noticed by True Lord Tian Xu, so this decision was not surprising.
Facing Hermit Wuxin's curious gaze, he calmly nodded and said, "That's right, I, Ning, do indeed possess the Five Elements Thunder Body."
Upon hearing this, even Hermit Wuxin couldn't help but show a flicker of shock in his eyes.
After all, after he became the Hall Master of Heart Hall, he had learned more about Ancestor Juelei.
He knew very well how powerful Ancestor Juelei, who also possessed the Five Elements Thunder Body, had been in the past.
He said with a look of emotion, "I never expected that after a hundred thousand years, our Nine Dragons Sea, and even the entire Human Realm, would have another cultivator who possesses the Five Elements Thunder Body.
It seems that not only will Fu Ling Hall be able to overcome this tribulation, but it can even regain its former glory in the future."
At this moment, Ning Fa frowned and said, "Daoist Wuxin, I haven't agreed to become the Hall Master of Fu Ling Hall yet."
Hermit Wuxin was startled at first, then said, "It's normal for Daoist Ning to have concerns now.
After all, Fu Ling Hall suffered heavy losses in this battle, while Lei Prison Mountain is the opposite. Its strength is now extraordinary, especially since Yan Jingchen is such a powerful individual.
However, you might not know that before Tian Xu died, he used an Immortal Extermination Bead, which had been treasured in the hall for a long time, to heavily injure Yan Jingchen.
According to the news I received, although Yan Jingchen did not perish, he was severely wounded. It will take him at least a hundred years to recover easily.
And with your Five Elements Thunder Body, you should have a hundred years to grow and shouldn't fear this Yan Jingchen."
Ning Fa's heart stirred upon hearing this. Although he didn't want to be the Hall Master of Fu Ling Hall not because of Lei Prison Mountain and Yan Jingchen, he was still relieved to hear this news.
After all, that Yan Jingchen was the reincarnation of Daoist Yan Yuan, and he had taken his Primordial Realm Pearl. If he needed a hundred years to recover from his injuries, it would naturally be a great piece of good news for him.
At this moment, Hermit Wuxin continued, "Moreover, although Fu Ling Hall suffered heavy losses in this Sun Peak, it still has considerable strength. There are still six Nascent Soul elders and nearly a hundred Core Formation cultivators.
In fact, during the past half month that Daoist Ning was absent, I have already made some arrangements in my capacity as the Hall Master of Heart Hall.
I have instructed Fu Ling Hall to directly abandon Leiming Sea and transfer all its forces to our Five Spirits Sea. I have also found a new mountain gate location for Fu Ling Hall.
With the assistance of our Heavenly Evolution Sect, it should not take too long to recover some of our vitality."