Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 371 - 364: Variables 3

Chapter 371: Chapter 364: Variables 3

Just as the tournament was interrupted and everyone was urgently dealing with the casualties, all eyes in the venue were focused on the survivors who emerged after the white lanterns were canceled.

Regrettably, after the white lanterns shrank and disappeared, there were no survivors found, only a pile of bones and remains.

In the midst of the noisy chaos, many relatives were enraged, and the entire venue erupted into confusion.

On the periphery of the venue, outside the spectator stands.

Wang Peng and his three companions were surrounded by a group of Bronze Armored Guards.

"What are you doing?!" Wang Peng glared menacingly at the circle of guards. "We are from the Yuan Dou Demon Sect, the earlier incident has already been thoroughly clarified. Why are you still surrounding us?!"

The leading Silver Armor guard spoke coldly.

"Indeed, you’re not related to the previous explosion incident, but from other details, there are many things worth scrutinizing. Therefore, by the order of the hall spirit, we invite you to Myriad Laws Hall to sit down and assist with the investigation," he said.

He flashed the Square Sky Halberd in his hand.

"Please do not resist. Otherwise, if there is any mishap, don’t blame my weapon for being blind," he warned.

Wang Peng gave Lou Xiaofei a look, and the latter was about to pull out the Taoist Talisman given by Guan Old when a black light flashed.

Snap.

The Taoist Talisman fell from his hand, dropping to the ground.

The hall spirit appeared before them at some unknown time. She still wore a long dress, her face cold and detached.

"Take them all away, and do not alarm the people of the Immortal Fiend Alliance," she ordered.

"Yes."

Seeing this scene, Wang Peng and the others finally began to panic.

"You can’t do this!? We are from the Immortal Fiend Alliance, personally appointed by the Crown Prince himself, we even have the Crown Prince’s Token!" Qiuling cried out in desperation.

Wang Peng and Lou Xiaofei, on the other hand, calmed down.

Rongyan also seemed to have realized something, pulling Qiuling and shaking her head, signaling her not to speak. At this point, nothing would be of use.

Didn’t you see that even Guan Old’s Taoist Talisman was directly suppressed?

With the hall spirit personally intervening, even if Guan Old himself came, it would probably be in vain.

"Let’s go."

Surrounded by the Bronze Armored Guards, the group soon disappeared into a verdant pathway outside the noisy perimeter of the venue.

******************

"What? Wang Peng and the others were taken away for isolation?" Lin Xin stood up abruptly from his seat.

In front of him was Lou Xiaofei, who had just been released, reporting the situation with a look of helplessness.

"Judging by the Defense Team’s stance, it must be an order personally issued by the hall spirit, not from Elder Hong Gui or Master Tianyun," he explained.

"What is their reasoning?" Lin Xin asked with a frown.

"The reason is that, as individuals involved in the investigation, it is their duty to fully cooperate with Myriad Laws Hall’s thorough investigation," Lou Xiaofei said with a wry smile. "The hall spirit asked me to tell Guan Old that they need to be isolated for a while to clarify the specific situation, and he shouldn’t worry about their safety."

Lin Xin nodded slowly.

"It seems the hall spirit herself wants to get involved in this matter, but I don’t agree with her methods," he commented.

Guan Old walked slowly in from the cabin doorway.

"Don’t worry. They should be safer with the hall spirit than we might imagine. The only thing that could possibly go wrong now is with them. In a way, the hall spirit’s actions are also a form of protective custody."

"Guan Old!" Lin Xin and Lou Xiaofei greeted him quickly.

Guan Mingyue wore a stern expression.

"The urgent matter at hand is to thoroughly understand the ins and outs of this incident, what exactly are they trying to hide?" he said.

"Exactly," Lin Xin agreed. "From what we see now, Elder Hong Gui and Master Tianyun, as well as the Wei Family, one of the three major families of the Demonic Canon Defense Team, must be trying to conceal their unsavory activities in the Nether River."

"Perhaps it’s benefits derived from the Nether River," Guan Old stroked his withered chin, skeletal beyond description.

Lin Xin concurred, as he had also intercepted an Evil God’s Primordial Embryo, naturally speculating from this angle.

"So, for now, we should go and establish contact with Her Highness the Second Qing Princess. What do you think, Guan Old?"

"Yes, that could work. The artifacts used by Master Tianyun for the tournament round have caused a significant lapse, resulting in the loss of eight top talents from Central Prefecture. This matter, even if taken up to the Three Sects, Xuan Nu, and the True Monarchs would not overlook it. We can use this reason to go and discuss terms," Guan Old nodded.

Having agreed, they immediately contacted Her Highness the Second Qing Princess using a Taoist Talisman handled personally by Guan Old.

The other party was indeed interested in making contact.

Both parties arranged a meeting at the Divine Palace’s airship belonging to Qing Dao.

*******************

The tournament was temporarily suspended, and no one was allowed to leave the venue. Both the hall spirit and the returned Golden Armor Elders issued a ban, sealing all the monks present in this suspended space.

By the time Lin Xin and his group invisibly arrived at the airship,

Qing Dao had already activated a special Protective Shield to block visibility, preventing those outside from seeing directly into the interior.

Under the guidance of a Daoist nun of the Jade Purity Sect who had been waiting for them, a group of people passed through the protective shield and stepped onto the gangway to board the deck of the building ship.

"Welcome, Your Highness, Elder Guan, and the predecessors of the Immortal Slaying Alliance." Yu Liuqing was already standing by the path the group would take, with his hands placed in front of him, bowing.

"Mother has been waiting for a while now."

Lin Xin and Elder Guan exchanged glances, and Lin Xin took the lead in removing the black hood covering his head, nodding towards Yu Liuqing.

"Thank you for your trouble."

"You’re too polite, Your Highness."

Dismissing the surrounding servants, Yu Liuqing alone led the three of them up the inclined gangplank and onto the building ship’s deck, which was covered with a thick layer of light green carpet.

The Second Qing Lady and two other female cultivators, whose profound cultivation was evident at a glance, were already waiting at the entrance to the pavilion.

"Your Highness, Elder Guan, Master Lou, please enter."

"For the esteemed Qing Lady to personally welcome us, we are truly honored," said Lin Xin with a smile.

They entered the pavilion and sat down in a small hall that had already been prepared with tea and a platter of fruits.

The Second Qing Lady took the seat of honor, with Lin Xin and Elder Guan taking seats to her left, while Lou Xiaofei stood to one side.

"I understand the implications of the Immortal Slaying Alliance’s intentions," the Second Qing Lady said solemnly. "To be frank with you both, our Jade Purity Sect has already started an in-depth investigation into the case.

Three years ago, my daughter Xiao Qing stumbled upon the discovery that someone was secretly stealing the Evil God’s embryonic essence from the Nether River. After repeated verification, we finally found that the Wei Family of the Defense Team has a major suspicion in the case."

"So, it’s a case of guarding against one’s own people," Elder Guan frowned.

"Yes, we initially thought it was as simple as the Wei Family stealing from themselves, but if it were that simple, it would be better," the Second Qing Lady sighed.

"Not long ago, while investigating this case, I inadvertently tracked down and encountered three powerful Yuan Jing masters. After clashing with them, I too was slightly injured."

At these words, not only Lin Xin but also Elder Guan’s expressions changed.

"Even Your Highness sustained minor injuries!? The forces involved..." Lin Xin’s expression darkened.

"Hence, even I dare not act rashly. Right now, most of the power of the Three Sects is gathered at the Sand Time Divine Palace, and we also need to be prepared for the possible assaults from the Red Spine Sect. Part of our experts have gone to support the hero Yuan Qiuque. It’s really like being caught between a rock and a hard place," the Second Qing Lady spoke helplessly.

"Where have all these Yuan Jing elders come from!" Guan Mingyue said in a heavy voice.

"In this world, only a few places can muster several Yuan Jing elders all at once," the Second Qing Lady said with deep meaning.

"Three Sects, Red Spine Sect, Shape-shifting Cave, Demonic Canon, Taoist Canon. Only these few places," Elder Guan listed one by one.

Mentally eliminating various possibilities.

"You don’t need to ponder anymore, I know who it is."

Suddenly, a deep male voice came from the entrance of the pavilion.

Everyone was startled; this was a forbidden land of the Jade Purity Sect, who could enter here without any sound or trace?

All eyes shifted toward the door, only to see a tall man in glittering golden armor, draped in a white cloak and wearing a horned helmet, quietly surveying everyone in the room.

"Brother Wei!" Elder Guan exclaimed with joy, standing up.

"Elder Guan, I’ve been busy with the Taoist Canon and haven’t had time to meet with you, my apologies," the golden-armored man said with a smile.

"Let’s forego the small talk. The Lord of the Divine Palace has already confined those few youngsters in the secret chamber of the Underground Palace, ready to interrogate and investigate at any time. There are Shrinking Stones to ensure nothing goes wrong."

"Does this mean the Lord of the Divine Palace intends to get involved personally?" Elder Guan asked, frowning.

"Indeed, events like these have happened frequently over the past decade, with treasures from inside the Evil God’s projections going missing. We have had internal suspicions and have been quietly gathering evidence," the golden-armored man said casually. "This time, Elder Guan, and Second Qing Lady, the two of you will join me in this. All cultivators below Yuan Jing should not come; our opponents are tough and difficult to handle, we need nothing less than Yuan Jing to participate."

Lin Xin glanced at Elder Guan.

Guan Mingyue nodded and said, "Your Highness, please wait on the building ship for my message. No matter what the outcome is, I shall provide you with an answer as soon as possible."

"By tonight at the latest. The rats will not be able to resist..." the golden-armored man named Wei said, a hint of a cold smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Alright."

Lin Xin replied softly, yet a subtle, inexplicable hue flickered in the depths of his eyes.

"If Your Highness is worried, you may bring people to guard the entrance to the Underground Palace. Leave the rest to us. Let us go now, both of you."

The golden-armored man said, turning to head out the door.

The Second Qing Lady and Elder Guan transformed into a whiff of breeze and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Leaving Lin Xin, Yu Liuqing, and Lou Xiaofei in the hall, along with two powerful female cultivators of the Jade Purity Sect.

"Xiaofei, you’ve been here for a while; you should be able to get a map of the Snow Mountain Underground Palace," Lin Xin communicated through a secret message.

"If Your Highness desires it, I can find it at any time. The Underground Palace has always been used to detain prisoners and for trips to perform alchemy. I have been down there seventeen or eighteen times in the past; I’m quite familiar with it," Lou Xiaofei hesitated for a moment then quickly responded.

"I need one. Although we can’t interfere in this matter, we still need to understand the situation. Focus particularly on which area," Lin Xin said lightly. "Yuan Jing masters are indeed fearsome, but if we gather the strength of everyone, combine Formation Talismans and Tao, and promptly mobilize the great formation, we are not without the ability to fend them off."

"Understood. I’ll go find it right now!" Lou Xiaofei hurriedly rushed out of the hall.

Leaving Lin Xin alone with the three women of the Jade Purity Sect, his demeanor remained calm as he quietly lifted a cup of tea and slowly savored it.