The unravelling thread (1)

The trio slowly nodded planting Meng Chao's words in their hearts. They had a personal experience of some of what Meng Chao was talking about in the Ice Emerlad Sect's case.

They had suspected there was a mastermind behind them especially with the sudden upsurge in strength and the ability to refine those with special physiques, and when they fought the founder who by all accounts should have been dead, even in terms of lifespan, they became certain there was someone behind her.

However, despite expecting it, they were still caught by surprise when the mastermind turned out to be someone in the soul formation realm. 

Whatever they needed the Ice Emerald Sect for, clearly they had the strength to do it themselves, evidenced by the fact that they had been able to paralyze Yang Qing and the rest and destroy a top-tier ascendant-grade treasure in the process without even their real body appearing.