NOVEL NEXT Chapter 265: Found
"Who could that person be?"
Before the Cold Palace in the Imperial City, Qing Yu floated three feet above the ground, sitting cross-legged in the void, one hand propping up his chin as he pondered quietly.
The words Kong Xuankong had spoken before he left today were something Qing Yu believed. His intuition told him that the person should be the Divinity Realm warrior who had attacked him in the Taizhen Palace. Therefore, there should be no falsehood in what Kong Xuankong had said.
A warrior proficient in the art of Yin and Yang, and someone from the Zhenwu Sect to boot; this narrowed down the possibilities to a certain area.
Xuan Chen, Xuan Guang, the Three Elders of Zhenwu, and...
"My deceased master, Xuanfa."
When all impossible factors are eliminated, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Thus, Qing Yu listed all the possibilities first.
Out of doubt over Xuanfa's death, Qing Yu had also used the Yi Skill to calculate his life and death. The result indicated that he was dead, and Xuanfa was no longer of this world.
However, such calculations could also be inaccurate. As a master of this art, Qing Yu knew several ways to avoid detection by others.
One rudimentary method was to change one's birth details, making it difficult for others to know the actual date and time of birth. Another was hiding in places with dead energy, using the terrain to mask one's vitality, among others.
At Qing Yu's level, many methods of concealment were unusable, but there was still one method that could deceive Qing Yu's calculations.
It was grafting fate. Using someone else's destiny to cover your true fate, creating an illusion to mislead the calculations.
Qing Yu had initially used the fate of Feng Jiwu to shield his own destiny and conceal his traces, using the same method.
Therefore, Xuanfa was also within Qing Yu's range of suspicion.
After all, this nominal master and Qing Yu did not share much affection. Qing Yu naturally would not let the supposed bond of master and disciple blind him and make him unwilling to believe that Xuanfa was the mastermind behind the scenes.
I, Qing Yu, have always been devoid of emotions. No matter who it is, emotions with them are useless; I approach everything completely rationally.
"Once Xuanzhen leaves seclusion, it will be time to deal with the matters of the Zhenwu Sect. But before that, we must catch that person's tail."
[Ji Tang, Blood Bat No.1.]
Within Shuxi Prefecture, two individuals secretly searching for Tan Wuyan stopped at different locations.
They had both been planted with a demon seed by Qing Yu, using Xuanyin Sword Energy as the medium. With Qing Yu's current power of the Primordial Spirit, as long as they were not within some forbidden terrain that blocked both internal and external forces, or within an array, Qing Yu would be able to sense them.
"Mirror Master."
"Mirror Master."
Both men respectfully greeted.
"Have you found Tan Wuyan's whereabouts?"
"The trail of Tan Wuyan is elusive. We have been searching for many days but have yet to catch him. However, there seems to be a discovery from the side of the Doomed Hall," spoke Blood Bat No.1 first.
Ji Tang also said, "I am also heading to meet with Jue Si from the Doomed Hall to hear their news."
[Find him at all costs.]
"Yes, Mirror Master." Both replied in unison.
After connecting with the two from Ji Tang, Qing Yu once again contacted another Xuanyin Sword Guard. The chief of the Xuanyin Sword Guards, merged with Six Paths Xuanyin Sword Qi—Xuanyin Sword Residence.
Calculating the time, he should have successfully integrated the sword qi by now.
[Xuanyin Sword Residence.]
"Mirror Master."
In a stronghold of the Blood Robe Building, Xuanyin Sword Residence quietly practiced with eyes closed.
At this moment, he no longer possessed the despair and vicissitudes of the past. The opening of a new path brought him new hope. His hair had completely turned dark green, fully merged with the Xuanyin Sword Qi, achieving unity of man and sword.
Qing Yu had not misjudged, he indeed was the most suitable vessel for the Xuanyin Twelve Swords.
"Depart immediately, head to Shuxi Prefecture. Capture Tan Wuyan alive, kill any who obstruct."
"Xuanyin Sword Residence, at your command."
With sword energy sweeping across, the locked stone gate shattered into countless pieces, and Xuanyin Sword Residence, the strongest under Qing Yu, emerged from his retreat.
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"A subterranean chamber under the lake? Hidden so deeply, how did you discover it?" Ji Tang looked at Jue Si, utterly ordinary, in shock.
At this moment, Ji Tang and Blood Bat No.1 were meeting with Zhang Xuanji, Jue Si, and others. In front of them lay a lake, not small by any measure, where one could only see a tiny figure from the far end.
Ji Tang had never imagined that someone would build a chamber beneath a lake, let alone that even the chamber's entrance would be within the lake.
Jue Si replied with undisturbed calmness, "Doomed Hall has its ways."
Could he mention that one of the elite disciples of Doomed Hall had once died near a similar lake? Henceforth, Doomed Hall paid some attention to lakes.
Could he mention that the elite disciple was killed by your supposedly deceased former boss – Gong Ziyu?
It would be awkward to bring up such matters.
When Gong Ziyu was still present, although the Azure Dragon Association wasn't as strong as Doomed Hall, its magnificence had overshadowed the long-standing heritage of Doomed Hall.
No choice, who else but Gong Ziyu was capable of causing trouble? Although eventually he caused his own demise, no one would forget there had once been such a person.
Of course, those who understood the struggle for succession in Northern Zhou still had doubts whether Gong Ziyu was truly dead or alive.
"I personally went down to check; there is no entrance under the lake. Tan Wuyan must use an array to come and go," Jue Si continued.
"Teleportation Array," Zhang Xuanji added. "This type of array is extremely difficult to set up and is limited by the energy resource and the skill level of the setter; typically, the longest teleportation distance is just over a hundred meters."
Jue Si said, "Correct; that's indeed the maximum distance. I estimate that from the bottom of the lake to the chamber is at most ten meters."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's attack directly," Ji Tang said, unable to contain his impatience.
Doomed Hall was just hired to do the job; Ji Tang and his partners were the ones who truly risked their lives. If things went awry, the Mirror Master wouldn't let them off lightly.
Jue Si wasn't in a hurry, but Ji Tang was extremely anxious.
"Wait," Zhang Xuanji blocked Ji Tang, who was ready to rush forward. "With our strength, we can indeed forcibly break into the chamber, but Tan Wuyan's strength is comparable to mine. We don't know what masters might be inside the chamber, and if we fight on their turf, we may end up at a disadvantage."
"In that case, leave it to us."
Blood Bat No.1 smirked as he pulled out a large handful of red pellets, "Fire Dragon Bombs. As long as we have enough, there isn't a place we can't blow open."
Zhang Xuanji's nostrils slightly twitched, recognizing the familiar scent. As an alchemist, he was no stranger to the smell of gunpowder, which was accidentally produced by alchemists in the past.
"If Fire Dragon Bombs are not enough, there are also Fire Dragon Rounds and Fire Dragon Divine Bombs. The Taoists of the Fire Department, having nothing else to do, produced quite a few powerful firearms."
Everyone present knew of the connection between the Blood Robe Building and Northern Zhou, so the appearance of Northern Zhou's military products here was not at all surprising.
However, Zhang Xuanji thought of the earlier scene he saw in the Qintian Observatory; the things those Taoists were busy studying had indeed sparked great interest in him.
'During the three months I'll be concocting pills for Qing Yu, I might as well look into these Taoists' research.'