"Go and tend to your injuries. Leave the rest to me, your senior."
Chen Xun smiled, his gaze already elsewhere. "Young man, cultivate well. If I can find the one who struck, I hope to see you in that battle."
"Yes, senior. No matter how far, I, Meng Sheng, will come. I refuse to die in vain on the path of cultivating immortality!"
"Such spirit!"
Chen Xun waved his hand and disappeared into the forest, leaving Meng Sheng with the silhouette from years past.
But now, Meng Sheng felt that the senior's figure seemed somewhat hunched, somewhat burdened.
Meng Sheng bowed deeply in that direction again, then turned to walk towards Black Bull, his gaze growing more determined.
In a secluded place.
Chen Xun set up several incense burners and began a ritual, muttering, "I hope the heavens and earth will bless me. This time, I was impulsive. I hope for some luck, so I won't be caught!"
He was constantly calming his mind, even guiding himself not to think about the Five Aggregates Sect.
Right now, he and his family were too powerless. The result of impulsiveness would be like Meng Sheng and the others, being hunted day and night, unable to accomplish anything.
As one who seeks longevity, the greatest taboo is impatience. Rarely impulsive, the consequences were finally catching up with him.
He had a mess to clean up, and he was already aware of the changes at the garbage dump.
Gu Lisheng's 'millions of troops' descending, Song Heng's grand tomb overshadowing the world—these rumors had reached his ears, with one outrageous event following another.
But having seen so much, he remained calm, first paying respects to the heavens before discussing the aftermath.
...
Li Chen Immortal Palace.
Inside, the atmosphere was grand, with powerful figures arriving at the palace, including members of the Flood Dragon clan of the Eight Veins.
However, the Flood Dragon Venerable did not come personally, having been warned by those two to act according to the rules.
In a scenic place, five meditation mats stood in five directions, the atmosphere oppressively heavy.
"The energy has been deduced from the sea creatures—one person, one spirit beast acted. They couldn't deduce the energy of these two criminals, but their identities have been confirmed."
A remarkably young man spoke calmly, "They are too bold. Since they dare to kill openly, it seems they are prepared to declare war on the Xuanwei Celestial Palace."
A woman spoke coldly, "Those people emerged from a small boundary and dared to inquire about the origin. It's too presumptuous. Such topics should not be touched."
A middle-aged man said solemnly, "This matter is small, but killing dragons is significant. It happened in the territory governed by Li Chen Immortal Palace, and there must be an explanation."
An old woman nodded slightly, "Such a heinous event warrants using all means to eliminate future troubles. With three Great Ascension Venerables taking action, there will be no mistakes."
If such words spread, they would shock all around. To kill a group of ordinary cultivators in the Elemental Infant phase, plus two in the Void Refinement phase, they actually needed to deploy three Great Ascension Venerables!
And from the tone, they didn't intend to drag it out. It had to be resolved today.
If not resolved, then more powerful figures would come, and it had to be dealt with within three days.
These criminals who dared to openly declare war on the celestial palace would not be pursued like Meng Sheng and the others, for decades or centuries. The nature of this matter was entirely different.
As the four finished speaking, their gazes turned to an elder, the palace master of Li Chen Immortal Palace, Great Ascension Venerable, Yin Tianshou!
Yin Tianshou's aura was completely different from when he met Chen Xun and the others. At that time, it seemed to be just a primordial spirit projection, not his true form.
His presence was immensely powerful, subtly altering the surrounding environment with his every breath, influencing the world around him with every move.
"Such deducing power, it seems to be that clan?"
Yin Tianshou's words were calm, asking a seemingly unrelated question, then shifting the topic, "The loss of ten Void Refinement Eight Veins Flood Dragons indeed requires an explanation."
The four furrowed their brows slightly, sensing something amiss in his words, as if there were concerns involved.
Great Ascension Venerables act decisively, without unnecessary complications.
Their conversations were straightforward, with no room for scheming at this level.
The old woman, Cui Ying, seemed to understand Yin Tianshou's meaning.
It's very likely that the person and spirit beast were the criminals, and she knew well that Yin Tianshou thought highly of them.
"Palace Master Yin, why not speak plainly?"
The young man glanced at the two, "There's room for negotiation, of course. It can be made big or small. The important thing is to give a satisfactory explanation."
The woman's gaze sharpened, understanding instantly, though her tone remained cold, "The celestial palace's dignity cannot be violated. Since that clan has acted to deduce, Palace Master Yin should understand that certain people in the celestial palace have already noticed them."
The middle-aged man furrowed his brow, not speaking. What exactly did Yin Tianshou intend to do? Could the two criminals be related to him?
But even if they were related, even if they were his disciples, they could not escape punishment.
Even if the palace master of Xuanwei Heaven committed a crime, they would still be treated the same.
In such situations, the Tribulation Crossing Venerable would usually surrender without resistance.
At that level, one truly understands the iron rules of the grand world and the countless powerful beings among the myriad races ahead.
Yin Tianshou cupped his hands to the four directions, speaking firmly, "I will protect this person and spirit beast."
The atmosphere around them fell silent, even the spiritual qi in the air seemed to solidify.
The three furrowed their brows simultaneously, all looking at Yin Tianshou, expecting at least a reasonable explanation.
"They are old acquaintances of mine, unaware of the rules, hence committing this grave crime. I will personally go to the Flood Dragon clan of the Eight Veins to apologize and compensate."
Yin Tianshou held a jade slip in his hand, containing information from the Xuanwei Celestial Palace about them, "I will also personally capture them and send them to the Immortal Prison."
His eyes were deep as the sea. In just half a day, the relationship between Mo Ye Han and them had been thoroughly investigated, ruling out countless people in an instant, even tracing it back to Li Chen Immortal Palace.
Purchasing property, Trash Island, garbage recycling plant—all these matters had been uncovered.
They quickly identified the person and spirit beast, human criminal: Chen Xun!
Bull criminal: Black Bull.
However, since the Immaculate Immortal Ridge was under Nangong Heling's name, she had not acted to violate the rules.
Therefore, the celestial palace would not implicate others, choosing not to reclaim the property, but the identities had not been fully confirmed yet.
Thus, they had not immediately revoked the Thousand Mechanism Spirit Seal usage rights of Chen Xun and Black Bull.
Now it was the final step, left to Li Chen Immortal Palace to confirm their identities and take direct action.
This was also why Mo Ye Han had to stay there, as the Flood Dragon clan of the Eight Veins wouldn't care about anything else. If they settled it privately, they would all die!
Such terrifying efficiency and precision in deduction were exactly what made the celestial palace one of the forces under the Nine Heavens Immortal Alliance!
After hearing Yin Tianshou's explanation, there was no need to understand the cause and effect. This reason was sufficient, and they rose to leave.
The young man smiled slightly, "I hope Fellow Daoist Yin will give a response within three days. Otherwise, we will personally capture them, and of course, not send them to the Immortal Prison, but to the Xuanwei Celestial Palace."
The woman's expression was calm, "Fellow Daoist Yin, we can certainly give you this face, but we hope you handle it well, so we can report back satisfactorily."
The middle-aged man also spoke solemnly, "Indeed, although the Flood Dragon clan of the Eight Veins has a poor disposition, they have been diligent in serving the celestial palace. Those ten Void Refinement juniors should not have died so tragically; they did nothing wrong."
Yin Tianshou cupped his hands, his voice lowered a notch, "Thank you all."
The three nodded slightly. The favor of a Great Ascension Venerable was naturally more valuable than killing two criminals.
The most important thing was that the impact of this matter was not significant and could be quickly suppressed.
If it were in front of everyone, even Yin Tianshou couldn't save their lives.
The three also cupped their hands and left, quite tactful, having said both good and bad words, and being quite reasonable.
After they left, Cui Ying approached Yin Tianshou, "Tianshou, is this matter truly worth it for you?"
"Of course."
Yin Tianshou smiled slightly, quite relaxed, "I will first personally visit the Flood Dragon Venerable. I heard it returned for this matter. If I can pass that hurdle, the rest will be easier."
Cui Ying shook her head and sighed, "You help them so much, yet who knows if they will appreciate it. The nature of cultivators is harder to grasp than cultivation techniques."
"Hahaha..."
Yin Tianshou laughed heartily, his figure becoming ethereal and elusive, "If I truly sought their gratitude, why help them in secret? Cui Ying, after all these years, change your ways, be a bit more carefree."
Cui Ying watched the disappearing figure with another long sigh, but her eyes held a slight smile.
