Master of Strange Dao

The jade mirror in his hand shattered as well, turning to powder.

He immediately released the jade mirror, severing the connection to avoid implicating himself.

"Why is he here too?"

Even if it was just a fleeting moment and unclear, he had still recognized them.

It was Qing Ziyu from Jinlan Mountain and that Black Mountain Goat Demon.

However, they might have possessed a strange treasure, making retrospection impossible.

He extended his hand, collecting all the shattered fragments of the jade mirror, and regrettably shook his head.

This was already the best replica created; it seemed that to retrieve valuable information, they would need the Chief Venerate to use the Shadow Great Mirror.

Such a thought used to be wishful thinking, utterly impossible.

Now, it was not necessarily impossible; if truly necessary, it was believed that the current Chief Venerate wouldn't mind paying a price to use the Shadow Great Mirror.

The person wearing the white laughing mask silently melded into the shadows, disappearing without a trace.

Moments later, beneath the shade of a tree, as if a new shadow emerged, the Old Chief Venerate rose silently.

He stood in the shadows, with a gentle gesture, the remaining powder from the jade mirror appeared in his hand.

He lightly waved his hand, and an identical jade mirror hovered in front of him, reflecting everything from moments ago.

He couldn't discern who the person with the white laughing mask was, but he saw that the guy had a jade mirror with a number: Three.

And the jade mirror in the Old Chief Venerate's hand also bore a number: Two.

Jade Mirror No. 2 had been reported destroyed over a hundred years ago in a catastrophic event.

And Jade Mirror No. 3, even earlier, had been reported destroyed centuries ago.

The Old Chief Venerate, who had never emerged before, recalled the information about the destruction of Jade Mirror No. 3 with a hint of a smile on his face.

"You still slipped up. Even if you were exposed after using a jade mirror before, you always tainted the information here.

I didn't expect that Fu Xiao would lose the caution he should have so soon after taking office."

According to the Shadow Department's rules, after using a jade mirror, the area's traces must be contaminated using a specific method.

Just like when that dead person appeared before, the jade mirror could only reveal a mass of black qi with no retrospection.

However, if a special method was employed, it would leave traces, and Shadow Department members would know that someone used a jade mirror here.

If the traces and information here weren't contaminated, no one would be aware of the jade mirror's use.

But the downside was that, just like now, the Old Chief Venerate could easily know what the person had been doing.

If he were still in the Shadow Department, still in power, he'd never catch such a small flaw.

With Ye Jiuyuan around, he always knew that Fu Xiao was a traitor.

He even knew that several other minor spies within the Shadow Department were traitors.

However, he didn't know who was behind Fu Xiao, and Ye Jiuyuan didn't know either.

Since Ye Jiuyuan handed him the White Sun Holy Scripture and the Incense Fire Crystal, but didn't know where Fu Xiao got them from, the Old Chief Venerate set two paths.

Ye Jiuyuan was tasked with digging deeper, to see what they wanted to find in the Shadow Department.

The Old Chief Venerate would dig out whoever was behind it.

After his unpleasant conversation with Yu Ziqing, the Old Chief Venerate knew it wouldn't be easy to have Yu Ziqing lift the ban, and that his Heart Devil Tribulation would come someday.

Many matters required him to personally take action, to revive the scout skills he had abandoned, and pursue the underlying issues.

Now was the best opportunity; not only did he uncover another insider in the Shadow Department, but he also found a breakthrough in the deaths of those two Ninth Tiers.

The Old Chief Venerate assessed his condition, knowing that if he returned to the Abyssal Rift within three months and used the hungry ghost's qi there to suppress the Devil Thought, it wouldn't be a big issue.

The Old Chief Venerate immersed himself into the shadows again, disappearing, while the shadow under the tree seemed to fade slightly.

Not far from the Grotto Heaven, layers of mountains loomed, with mist winding around the mountainside.

A woman, with a worried expression, rested her head on one hand, seated on a white cloud. In front of her, a water mirror formed, reflecting everything near the Grotto Heaven through the white clouds in the sky.

"I don't even leave the house, don't come down the mountain, yet trouble still finds me.

One wave after another, if I count, including that dead person, five Ninth Tiers have appeared at my doorstep.

That's not to mention that Black Dragon pretending to be a Mountain Goat. How can you be such a nasty Black Dragon, pretending to be a goat?

If I hadn't accidentally seen it, I wouldn't have even noticed...

This is bad, this must be my second tribulation approaching.

Otherwise, why would there be so many issues?

I just knew, I shouldn't have gone to Dazhen last time.

Feng Buju is here too, and maybe part of the Old Emperor Zhen is suppressed here.

Why is the Yin Family so wicked, suppressing a Devil at my doorstep? I'll have to seek an explanation someday!

And King Xiang, that bad kid, planning to cross tribulation and asking for a small favor. Can tribulation-crossing be a small favor?

I really owe your family. I shouldn't have let the Old Emperor Zhen save me back then.

So annoying, so annoying. If I go out, there will definitely be no good outcomes."

While she grumbled and complained, she extended her hand to summon and gather various materials, and then, sitting on a white cloud, wrapped in it, flew out of the mountain, heading north.

Many people knew she was called the Mei Mountain Demon Granny, significantly connected to Mei Mountain.

However, that Mei Mountain was not the one people thought of, despite the countless places named Mei Mountain.

The mountain where she resided was called Mei Mountain long, long ago.

As time passed, today, the locals referred to it as Granny Mountain, recorded in the local county history of Dali as Granny Mountain.

This was the domain where the Mei Mountain Demon Granny cultivated, with the Mei Mountain in the outside world being nothing more than a fixture she rarely visited.

Yet outsiders never knew this, as she never disclosed it to anyone.

A bunch of powerful individuals appeared at her doorstep, and two even died—three if you included the dead person.

No wonder she felt the pressure; she feared that if they kept fighting, it would inevitably affect her, leaving her nowhere to hide.

By now, she dared not stay, particularly with King Xiang seeking her help. She decided to take a look.

"The Old Emperor Zhen has only this one son. I should go, just so I won't miss seeing him for the last time if he dies.

Ah, never mind, never mind, since the Old Emperor Zhen saved me several times back then..."