Chapter 476: Undercurrents
"I've collected quite a few, haven't I?" the middle-aged man chuckled to himself, then placed the three new masks onto the wooden shelf before stowing it away with a pleased nod.
After that, he flipped a hand over to produce a hollow golden plate, which he tossed forward, and the plate flew several feet through the air before swelling to the size of a round table, while all types of complex runes lit up on its surface.
Immediately thereafter, an enormous pillar of golden light erupted out the center of the plate, rising directly up into the heavens.
Before long, specks of spiritual light began to converge, and three blurry figures appeared around the golden plate. Their bodies were enveloped in flowing golden light, making it impossible to glean their appearance.
"What is it, Gongshu Jiu? Haven't you gone to search the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor? Why have you suddenly contacted us?" one of the golden figures asked.
"Gan Jiuzhen is also in this immortal manor right now," Gongshu Jiu replied.
The same golden figure stirred slightly upon hearing this, and they asked, "Are you sure it's her? Her identity is extremely mysterious in the Reincarnation Palace, and even the name 'Gan Jiuzhen' may not be her true name. On top of that, she's frequently changing her mask, so how can you be sure that it's her?"
"I have no concrete evidence to prove it, but according to the memories of a few Transient Guild members that I just killed, the way that their leader, Wyrm 3, likes to do things, is quite similar to Gan Jiuzhen's style," Gongshu Jiu replied.
"In that case, please make sure that you capture her alive, Fellow Daoist Gongshu. As I'm sure you're aware, she's harboring many secrets that are worth exploring," one of the other golden figures said with a smile in their voice.
Gongshu Jiu nodded in response, and he was just about to conclude the communication when he suddenly recalled something, and he said, "Oh, I almost forgot. I discovered someone using the Spirit Refinement Technique in the immortal manor earlier, and from the looks of it, they've already cultivated it to at least the third level."
"To think that there are still people willing to risk their lives to cultivate the forbidden technique. There's no need to capture that person alive, just execute them on the spot," the third golden figure declared in a cold voice.
Gongshu Jiu nodded in response, then swept a sleeve through the air, and the golden plate reverted back to its original size before flying back up his sleeve, following which he flew away into the distance atop his flying carriage.
......
Meanwhile, high up in the sky a vast distance away.
Han Li and Jin Tong were flying through the air when the former suddenly stopped in his tracks before turning toward a certain direction.
"What is it?" Jin Tong asked.
"I just sensed a burst of extremely formidable energy fluctuations erupt into the sky in that direction, but it seems to be gone now," Han Li explained.
"Formidable energy fluctuations? Let's go and take a look!" Jin Tong suggested as a hint of excitement appeared in her eyes.
Han Li was naturally aware of what her intentions were, and he shook his head as he replied, "Let's not go out of our way to find trouble, we'll have plenty of powerful enemies to face."
"How boring," Jin Tong scoffed with a disappointed pout.
Han Li took another glance in that direction with his brows slightly furrowed, then continued to fly away into the distance with Jin Tong.
......
In a well-preserved cluster of palatial buildings, four cultivators dressed in Vast Flow Palace attire were each using a treasure to collectively attack a restriction around a palace.
Right as they were about to succeed, spiritual light suddenly flashed over the surface of an antiquated mirror hanging directly above the palace gates, and a beam of white light shot out of it to strike the chest of one of the four cultivators, who instantly let loose an agonized howl as a hole was punched through his chest, sending him toppling to the ground.
A resounding thump rang out as the array that the four cultivators had jointly conjured up instantly exploded.
The fair-skinned scholar who was the leader of the group instantly rushed over to the cultivator that had been struck down, then flipped a hand over to summon a golden pill to feed him.
Before long, the bones and flesh in the man's chest began to recover, but he still gasping for breath.
Everyone else was quite relieved to see this, but they were still quite concerned about their current situation.
"It's already been over half a month since we lost contact with the palace master and the others. We have to get out of this place as soon as possible. Perhaps the palace master has already found that place by now," the fair-skinned scholar said with a grim expression.
The other three cultivators hurriedly gave affirmative responses, and after a short rest, they began working on breaking the restriction again.
......
On a charred hill in the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor, there were wisps of white smoke rising up everywhere.
Several hundred feet below the ground here was an underground palace, inside of which was a large black stone chair. At the moment, the chair was being occupied by none other than the grand elder of the Dawn Fall Sect, Feng Tiandu.
The ground in front of him was littered with giant black rocks, and they seemed to be the remains of the puppets that had previously guarded this place.
Feng Tiandu was inspecting the puppet remains on the ground with a dark expression when all of a sudden, the sound of footsteps rang out from outside the palace.
Moments later, Qi Tianxiao made his way into the palace, and he extended a salute toward Feng Tiandu as he said, "All of our people have already been sent out. There are two teams that we're currently unable to get into contact with, while the rest of them are all still searching for the High Zenith Palace, but to no avail."
"Is there any news about the people from the Immortal Palace and the Vast Flow Palace?" Feng Tiandu asked.
"There has been some news, but it was only gathered yesterday. The Immortal Palace and the Vast Flow Palace have employed a similar strategy to ours, sending out all of their people to search for the High Zenith Palace, but it seems that they haven't had much luck, either," Qi Tianxiao replied.
"There should still be some time before the heavenly cauldron opens. If we can find its location prior to that, we'll be able to set up some measures in advance and seize the initiative," Feng Tiandu said.
"Rest assured, Senior Martial Brother, I'll be sure to keep a close eye on everyone else," Qi Tianxiao said as he cupped his fist in a salute.
......
On a bleak and desolate red plain stood a pair of tall men dressed in Southern Dawn Race attire. Each of them was holding a golden cane as the sped through the air, and directly behind them were three cultivators who were dressed in Ghost Wail Sect attire, but were actually cultivators of the Ubiquitous Pavilion.
For some reason, no conflict had arisen between the two parties, and instead, it seemed that the trio of Ubiquitous Pavilion cultivators were merely following the pair of Southern Dawn beings.
The two Southern Dawn beings both wore wooden expressions, and they resembled puppets as they flew onward without any communication.
After flying for a few minutes, the five of them spotted a set of ruins that resembled a city in the distance, and they hurriedly accelerated toward it.
......
In another area of the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor, there was a series of undulating hills, interspersed with valleys of different depths.
There were also lush forests, flowing rivers, fiery valleys filled with miasma... All types of landmarks were present in the area.
Among these landmarks was a small and completely unremarkable-looking valley that wasn't filled with miasma, nor did it have any greenery or rivers running through it.
It was just a little shorter than the valleys on either side of it, and there were currently three people gathered in the valley, discussing something in hushed tones.
All three of them had rather grim looks on their faces, and they were led by none other than Dao Lord Ouyang Kuishan of the Blaze Dragon Dao.
"Fellow Daoist Ouyang, we've already roused the suspicions of the Immortal Palace by leaking the location of the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor's entrance. If we warn Daoist Hu Yan and others in advance this time, surely we'll be accused of betraying the Immortal Palace," one of the other two figures said.
"So what? The Immortal Palace promised us so many things, yet have they followed through on any of them? Right now, we're the laughingstock of the entire Northern Glacial Immortal Region, and we're constantly being restricted by the Immortal Palace in everything that we do. Rather than continue to live such a cowardly and pitiful existence, we may as well at least go out in a meaningful way," Ouyang Kuishan said as a hint of sorrow flashed through his eyes.
"We only betrayed Dao Lord Baili so that we could save the Blaze Dragon Dao, but we should've known better than to expect that Xiao Jinhan would follow through on his promises. We have no one to blame but ourselves for becoming the laughing stock of the entire immortal region," the third figure mused with a wry smile.
"This experience has taught me a valuable lesson: only by attaining sufficient power can one escape the fate of being controlled by others. I think this is an opportunity for us. All of the leading powers of the immortal regions are gathered here right now, so there's no need for us to directly oppose the Immortal Palace.
“All we have to do is muddy the waters so that others can chip away at the Immortal Palace's forces. The more the Immortal Palace is worn down, the less control they'll be able to exert over us," Ouyang Kuishan said.
"You're right. In any case, all we're doing is tipping off Hu Yan and the others, and the Immortal Palace can't find any evidence to prove that we tipped them off."
With the decision made, the three of them pulled out an octagonal copper array plate each, then assembled them together, and the blaze dragon design engraved onto their surface instantly lit up with crimson light.
Deep within the valley, there was a rippling light barrier that was quite blurry and indistinct, making it impossible to clearly see what laid beyond it.
......
Beneath a blanket of dark clouds in the sky stood a black mountain that was over 10,000 feet tall.
Near the mountain summit was a spacious cliff, and the white-robed Xiao Jinhan was standing on the edge of the cliff with his robes flapping around him, looking into the distance with a complex look in his eyes, and he was accompanied by Deputy Palace Master Xue Ying.
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