(MC POV)
Honestly, I thought he would struggle a bit more before giving up. But after I practically destroyed Feng boy's formation, he pressed his forehead to the ground and begged for mercy.
I decided to deal with him later by teleporting him into the mountain dungeon where I also kept that crazy undead fox captive. I probably need to go there and check on her after I'm done here, I won't be surprised if she's already escaped from there since it's already been three years after all.
I also had the plan to leave his fate to Xun Guan, I believe it'll be quite cathartic for her to have her former tormentor be at her mercy.
After taking care of Feng boy, I told the elders to send out the news that I had returned and to reschedule the student selection. It's obvious the selection was quite skewed because of Feng boy so it'll be better to do it again.
I told my disciples to go back to my courtyard and free the servants before going to where Sect Master Qing was being locked up.
For some reason, Iris insisted on following along..
The other girls were not happy that she was following me and wanted to tag along to keep an eye on her too. But knowing that would just lead to another fight, I firmly told them to go back to my courtyard to wait for me, which they grudgingly agreed to after a few more tries.
I followed Elder Gong along a secluded pathway that led into the mountain itself.
"This was something the Feng traitor dug out specifically to imprison Sect Master Qing," Elder Gong explained. "He layered those defensive inscriptions that Master Lin err… Eradicated… Easily… Just now… Something that even the combined efforts of everyone in the Sect was not able to do..."
I waved my hand at him, "Oh, if you know the trick to it, it's quite easy to dispel them. Don't worry about it."
I don't really want to announce to everyone who I really am yet, just in case they start having ideas about worshipping me. Of course, if I have to, I'll say it but there's no need for that now.
"Ho… As expected of Master Lin. Ah, we're here."
We stopped in front of a large cage that housed a single person within, looking quite miserable inside his prison.
"Sect Master Qing, are you alright?"
The man behind the bars looked up in shock at my voice, "Master Lin? Is that really you? I'm not in heaven, am I?"
"Well, technically you are since this is Heaven Sect after all. But if you're asking if you're dead or not, then the answer is no."
Sect Master Qing clambered up from his seated position and stumbled towards us to lean against the cage bars, taking a few seconds more to look at us before his brain finally registered what he was looking at.
"Ma… Master Lin! It really is you! You came back! Ahhh… This old man can finally heave a sigh of relief! God is helping us!"
"Yes, yes let's take a look at you… You spent more than a year here alone without food or water huh… No wonder you're quite delirious now."
"Ahaha, this much is nothing. I just needed to absorb the latent Elemental Quarks in the air for sustenance and hang on to the belief you would return."
That's some belief you have there, though at his level, it really wouldn't be hard for him to survive a year or two without eating.
I waved my hand over the cage and it disappeared from existence entirely.
Elder Gong immediately went forward to catch Sect Master Qing before he could fall.
"Don't worry, Master Lin, I'll make sure he recovers," He assured me.
I conjured up a healing pill and passed it to him, "Let him eat this and have him rest. This should help with his physical ailments."
"A Godpill…" Elder Gong muttered before taking the object from my palm with the utmost reverence. "I'll make sure Sect Master Qing takes it."
"Umu, I'll be counting on you."
Before they left, Sect Master Qing turned his gaze to Iris who was standing behind me, "This young lady… Could I know your relation to Master Lin?"
Surprisingly, Iris did not answer his question. In fact, now that I turned to look at her, it looks like she wasn't even acknowledging Elder Gong's and Sect Master Qing's presence.
"Iris?" I called out.
Iris shifted her gaze and smiled at me, "Yes, Master?"
So she wasn't frozen… But why didn't she… Ah.
She really wasn't acknowledging the existence of anyone else here besides me.
I shouldn't forget, Iris was someone who had idolised the previous me who saw everything's value as equal so it shouldn't come as a surprise that she might try to emulate me.
But unlike me, she didn't love everything equally, not at all.
This beyond godlike being who was also the personification of 'the End of everything' saw everything aside from Origin as things beneath her notice.
She probably only acknowledges my disciples purely because they occupied the position of being my disciples just like she was. Otherwise, she would be treating them like how she is treating Elder Gong and Sect Master Qing right now.
I made a wry smile at the two of them, "Sorry for the late introduction. This is Iris, she's also one of my disciples but she's a bit shy."
The two of them nodded in understanding and didn't question further.
We left the cave and I sealed the place up since it wasn't needed anymore.
Leaving Elder Gong to take care of Sect Master Qing, Iris and I returned to my courtyard where my disciples would be waiting for me.
Stepping past the threshold to my courtyard, I sucked in a lungful of air and exhaled deeply. It's been a long while but I'm finally home again.
That was when I realised that my courtyard was empty, not even the shadow of my disciples were found there.
"Hmm? Where are they?" I wondered aloud.
Iris turned to me, "If Master is wondering about those disciples of yours, you might want to check the wardrobes in their rooms."
Wardrobes? Are they trying to hide to surprise me or something? That's weird, why would they do that?
I looked at her, "You're using your omniscience, aren't you?"
"That is correct, Master. Is something wrong?"
"Then I would like to ask first… If I find out more about this… Would my disciples be upset?"
"Hmm? Of course not, Master."
Ok, that's all I need to know.
Still feeling a little confused, I followed Iris's advice and went to my disciples' room, opening Lian Li's wardrobe to reveal… No one inside?
I raised a questioning eyebrow at Iris and she merely pointed a finger at the bottom of the wardrobe.
Even more confused than before, I reached my arm in to tap the bottom of the wardrobe and I realised it sounded quite hollow.
Hmm? That's… Odd.
I rummaged around the wardrobe until my fingers wrapped around some sort of lever.
I pulled at it and the back of the wardrobe slid down, revealing a secret passage.
Ok… This is new... I guess I should investigate this?
