Chapter 15

This night, Anyang Prefecture was particularly lively.

First, Xu Muyang exploded his Heavenly Heart, his qi surging to the heavens, followed by Shi Wunian and Xiao Biehan engaging in a fierce battle, fighting all the way from Fengping Ferry to the peak of Caiyun. The people of Anyang Prefecture spent the whole night seeing the sky above illuminated by light and thunder.

The hurricane caused by the surge of spiritual energy swept through Anyang Prefecture, destroying nearly a hundred homes. The small Yuan Mountain at Fengping Ferry was completely flattened.

Despite this, it wouldn't take long for the area to regain its vitality.

The grass and trees that disappeared would grow again, and even the flattened mountain would gradually recover under the influence of magic.

The cultivation world has always been like this, with the landscape of the continent often changing due to the life and death cycles of cultivators. Rivers change course, mountains rise and fall, all of which are common occurrences.

Cultivators who close themselves off for a hundred years might wake up to find the world completely changed, with the sea turned into fields and the land turned into sea.

Therefore, although cultivation wars are brutal, when the war ends, the ancient battlefields often become new prosperous places due to the concentration of spiritual energy.

If an ancient great power falls, it can bring blessings to thousands of miles, and many sects will flourish as a result.

Of course, some great powers do not die in time and will use all their strength to seal the spiritual land. Jili Bingzhu belongs to the latter, which is why no one has discovered it for ten thousand years. Until ten thousand years later, when the formation could no longer be maintained, a small amount of spiritual energy leaked out, bringing blessings to the outside world and attracting countless people.

To seize the weapon mirror, Shi Wunian had no intention of playing around with Xiao Biehan. After a while, he called out, "Xiao Biehan, can't you see I'm admitting defeat?"

Xiao Biehan laughed, "You're not sincere. You still have strength left, so why are you admitting defeat? Come on, let's continue. We can talk about it after the fight!"

Although unwilling and reluctant, Xiao Biehan wouldn't stop, so Shi Wunian couldn't leave.

They fought until the sun rose in the east. Seeing that dawn had broken, Shi Wunian roared, "Xiao Biehan, how long do you want to fight? I have things to do and no time to play with you!"

The sword shadows in the sky suddenly disappeared, and Xiao Biehan miraculously sheathed his sword and stepped back, laughing, "Since Lord Wunian isn't in the mood to fight, let's stop. It's a pity, but since Lord Wunian isn't in the mood, even if I win, it won't be a fair victory. Since Lord Wunian has things to do, please go ahead. We of the Xiyue Sect won't detain you. But Lord Wunian should understand that Wenzhixin is the territory we protect, so you should think carefully before acting."

With that, he laughed and left.

Shi Wunian was so angry he almost spat blood.

I've been acting low-key all the way, and it's clearly you who started the fight. Who's the one not thinking things through?

Falling from the sky to the ground, Shi Wunian saw He Chong and Xu Ruogu still in the same spot, with a murderous look in his eyes, "Why haven't you gone to find that kid yet?"

He Chong replied, "Li Hongyang and Ming Yekong also came, keeping us from leaving."

"What? Xiyue Sect, I won't let this go!" Shi Wunian was furious and casually struck a large rock, turning it to dust.

However, no matter how angry he was, he couldn't do much about the Xiyue Sect.

After some thought, Shi Wunian said, "So much time has passed, that kid must have run far. It won't be easy to find him now. He Chong, go find the person who sold the house, get a clear description of the kid, and draw a portrait. Then mobilize all the secret disciples of Wenzhixin to find him. I must find him!"

"What? Mobilize all the secret disciples?" He Chong was taken aback.

The secret disciples are the hidden agents of the major sects in other countries, responsible for gathering information and executing special tasks when necessary. Due to the high risk, most cultivators with potential avoid this path, making each secret agent extremely valuable. The Heavenly Palace has only about a hundred secret agents in Wenzhixin. Mobilizing all of them would greatly increase the risk of their identities being exposed. If the Xiyue Sect discovers them, they will be killed.

The Xiyue Sect won't kill Shi Wunian, but they will deal harshly with the secret agents. Various accidents will follow.

"There's no time to think about that. The weapon mirror is the foundation of the Heavenly Palace's revival. We must get it back no matter what," Shi Wunian said fiercely.

Xu Ruogu was also surprised and quickly said, "Lord Wunian, this matter has already alarmed the Xiyue Sect. They will closely watch us. If we mobilize the secret disciples now, it might..."

Before he finished, Shi Wunian understood his meaning. Mobilizing the secret disciples now might result in them being captured by the Xiyue Sect before they can even act.

Shi Wunian nodded, "You're right, I was careless. Do you have any good ideas?"

Xu Ruogu replied, "Lord Wunian, this is still Wenzhixin territory. We shouldn't act too openly. I think we should take several approaches."

"Oh? Speak."

"First, bring skilled trackers from the Heavenly Palace and Moqiu. Start from here and investigate step by step. Second, bribe the local officials of Wenzhixin to get information from them. Third, organize a group of people from the countryside to help us search. Using the people of Wenzhixin to help us will involve more people and cost less, and even the Xiyue Sect can't stop it."

Shi Wunian nodded in agreement, "Good, you're worthy of being the future head of the Xu family. Using the people of Wenzhixin to help us is a good idea. Since that's the case... He Chong, return to the Heavenly Palace and have Falcon come here. Also, order the secret disciples to cooperate."

He Chong respectfully replied, "Yes, but Lord Wunian, doing this will make the Xiyue Sect even more aware of our intentions."

"They already know enough," Xu Ruogu replied.

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"Ha ha ha! What a great fight, what a great fight!"

Inside Anyang Prefecture, Xiao Biehan laughed as he entered the Xiyue Sect's hall, walked straight to the main seat, and sat down. Two other people stood beside him, both at the Heavenly Heart realm.

One wore a green robe, the other a black robe, sitting on either side of Xiao Biehan. The green-robed one had a green face like a zombie, while the black-robed one was handsome, even making men feel attracted.

A group of cultivators, including Nan Bai Cheng, bowed to Xiao Biehan.

"Pay respects to Third Great Uncle!"

"Pay respects to Ancestor!"

"Pay respects to Hongyang True Person!"

"Pay respects to Yekong True Person!"

A series of titles echoed.

Xiao Biehan waved his hand, "All rise. Who is in charge here?"

Nan Bai Cheng quickly stepped forward, "Longfeng Sect's Nan Bai Cheng pays respects to Great Uncle, Hongyang True Person, Yekong True Person!"

Xiao Biehan looked at Nan Bai Cheng, "Longfeng? You're Yan Changfeng's disciple? Tell me, what exactly happened this time? Others, step back."

Everyone left, leaving only Nan Bai Cheng to report what had happened, including his own calm and determined attitude when facing Lord Wunian. The three listened without speaking.

After Nan Bai Cheng finished, the green-robed person beside him asked, "Do you know who was in that house?"

Nan Bai Cheng quickly replied, "Hongyang True Person, after the battle with Lord Wunian, I immediately sent people to investigate the house. It was found that two people lived there. One is a twelve-year-old boy named Tang Jie, who bought the house in his name. He worked at an inn in Anyang Prefecture until last night, and hasn't been seen since. The other is a bit older, wearing white, and has been in the house for half a year, rarely leaving. I asked the people who sold the house, and they confirmed that the buyer's surname was Xu."

"Xu?" The black-robed person immediately said, "I remember who that guy was last night, it was Xu Ruogu!"

"So, Shi Wunian came here to capture a traitor from his sect?" The green-robed Li Hongyang asked.

Xiao Biehan snorted, "Nonsense! Would Shi Wunian personally come to capture a traitor? Besides, when did the Xu family become part of the Heavenly Palace? Last night, the spiritual energy surge was clearly from a Heavenly Heart realm cultivator exploding their Heavenly Heart! A Heavenly Heart realm cultivator being forced to do that is not simple! Hongyang, check how many Heavenly Heart realm cultivators the Xu family has, and how many like to wear white."

"No need to check," the black-robed Ming Yekong quickly said, "The Xu family has seven Heavenly Heart realm cultivators: Xu Huaili, Xu Ruogu, Xu Mingyue, Xu Muyang, and three others not surnamed Xu. The white-clad person is not the right age to be Xu Huaili, and being a man, it can only be Xu Muyang!"

"Xu Muyang?" Xiao Biehan was stunned, "The array master?"

He began to stroke his chin, thinking aloud, "So, the Heavenly Palace and Xu Ruogu came here to capture Xu Muyang, but Xu Muyang preferred to commit suicide rather than be captured. After Xu Muyang's death, they didn't leave but started investigating the boy... Hmm, there's something fishy here. I think either the boy has an extraordinary background, or he possesses a great treasure."

"Great Uncle, I think so too. But I haven't heard of any noble son from any sect going missing recently, so it's more likely the latter. What should we do next?" Ming Yekong asked.

"What else?" Xiao Biehan snorted, "I don't know what the Heavenly Palace wants, but I know it must be important, important enough for Shi Wunian to come in person, and important enough for him to admit defeat to me! Hehe, the more he wants to leave, the more I can't let him. I don't care what the Heavenly Palace wants, but I can't let them succeed, at least not easily!"

With that, he casually struck the table, turning it to dust.

Xiao Biehan, known as a sword fanatic and martial madman, was not stupid. His love for fighting was just a cover. This time, he came to create trouble for the Heavenly Palace. If Shi Wunian had openly said that Xu Muyang stole a treasure from the Heavenly Palace, Xiao Biehan might not have cared.

The Xiyue Sect wasn't so poor as to want to steal the Heavenly Palace's treasures.

But the more Shi Wunian kept it a secret, the more Xiao Biehan felt there was something fishy, and the more he wanted to obstruct them, making the fight even more intense.

The six major sects always appeared harmonious on the surface but were full of intrigue behind the scenes. Each sect only had one true friend. The Xiyue Sect's true friend was the Thousand Emotions Sect, and the rest were just polite. Now that the Heavenly Palace had come to the Xiyue Sect's territory, Xiao Biehan felt it was his duty as the third great uncle to create obstacles for them.

After all, he was just a martial fanatic.

By pretending to be a fool, Xiao Biehan disrupted the Heavenly Palace's plans.

At this moment, he said, "Immediately investigate the boy's identity and closely monitor him. We must find him before the Heavenly Palace does. I don't believe we can't find him on our own territory. Also, send people to monitor Shi Wunian's movements. If he mobilizes the secret disciples, we can catch those rats hiding underground."

Nan Bai Cheng was sweating, "Great Uncle, to track a Zifu True Person... disciple..."

"No need to secretly follow, just openly follow," the handsome Ming Yekong said, "Lord Wunian has honored us with his presence in Wenzhixin, so we should show some hospitality. We can arrange accommodations for them and provide some people to serve them. I'm sure Lord Wunian won't refuse our hospitality... Find some smart and tactful people to handle this."

"Disciple understands," Nan Bai Cheng quickly replied. Openly monitoring Shi Wunian might not yield much, but many things can be seen from small details. Besides, the Xiyue Sect already knew their movements, so the next step was to delay them, not to investigate further.

As for the truth, it would be revealed once they found the boy named Tang Jie.

"At the time, they were in such a hurry to leave. Now, thinking about it, the boy named Tang Jie must have just left. Mobilizing all the local people, we should be able to find out where Tang Jie went," Li Hongyang also said.

"Disciple will handle it," Nan Bai Cheng then stepped back.

"Wait," Xiao Biehan suddenly said, "You did well by holding back Shi Wunian before we arrived. I will report this to my senior brother and give you the reward you deserve."

"Thank you, Great Uncle!" Nan Bai Cheng was overjoyed and bowed.

In just two days, the Xiyue Sect had gathered all the necessary information.

That night, the boy named Tang Jie, who matched the age and appearance, was one of six. Five of the six had been found, and none were related to Xu Muyang.

Only one was still missing.

It was said that he went north.

Xiao Biehan immediately issued an order, commanding the local government to send a large number of people to search for the boy. Meanwhile, He Chong, who had bribed the local officials, organized a group of people from the countryside to search for Tang Jie.

However, after two months, no one found him, as if he had disappeared from the world.

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