Wait a minute, where is my master?

Three days later.

The news that the Sea Eye's seal was broken and all the filth had been cleared spread across all regions of the Nine Provinces, facilitated by Tingfeng Building.

A Sound Recording Jade Scroll titled "Vice President of Tingfeng Building Explores the Deep Sea Abyss, Unexpectedly Interviews Ancestor of Kunlun Immortal Palace—Part One" gradually arrived in the hands of cultivators from various major sects.

Below is the content of the recording:

"Vice President of Tingfeng Building: 'Cough cough, Senior Chi, I am starting the recording now.'

A middle-aged male voice firstly cleared his throat, then respectfully asked for permission from someone.

After hearing a mature and steady 'Hmm', his tone suddenly became spirited.

'Good, welcome all Dao friends from the Nine Provinces to Tingfeng Building's special interview session covering major events. Our guest today is none other than the venerable Chi Dao, the Ancestor from Kunlun Immortal Palace.

'Greetings, Elder Chi!'

'Greetings to you, Nan Dao friend, and to all Dao friends from the Nine Provinces.'

The mature and steady voice responded, and the middle-aged man continued with the interview.

'Elder Chi, I see that the filth here has been cleared, and I presume it was your doing.

'Dear Dao friends, while you cannot see it, I can distinctly sense that Elder Chi's aura is slightly chaotic now. It seems Elder Chi suffered minor injuries while dispelling the filth in the Nine Provinces.

However, considering that this injury is insignificant to the person recognized as the number one in the Nine Provinces Cultivation World, Senior Chi Dao.'

Elder Chi, the Kunlun Immortal Palace truly deserves to be the greatest Immortal Sect in our Nine Provinces. The Heavenly Dao issued warnings to our cultivators, yet you managed to dissolve the crisis invisibly.

'Elder Chi, you truly are a savior of millions of living creatures in the Nine Provinces. Here, I merely represent...'

Before the middle-aged man could finish his enthusiastic praise, he was suddenly interrupted by that mature and steady voice.

'Cough, I did not dispel the filth.'

Upon this revelation, the middle-aged man's voice in the Sound Recording Jade Scroll fell silent for a moment, caught off guard by his infrequent firsthand interviews.

'Senior Chi, surely you are being modest. Even though it was not you who dispelled the filth, I notice that your aura is a bit weak. Presumably, it was due to collaborating with someone to...

Before he could finish his sentence, the voice of the Ancestor from Kunlun Immortal Palace interrupted him again.

'When I arrived here, both the filth and the seal had already disappeared. Cough, ask something else.'

This time, the middle-aged man was silent even longer, about ten breaths, before his voice resounded again. His tone clearly lacked the previous excitement.

'...Cough, I see. Then, Elder Chi, upon your immediate arrival here, did you discover anything that you could share with the Dao friends in the Nine Provinces Immortal World, or do you think there is a Great Master who might have caused the filth and the Sea Eye's seal to disappear out of thin air?'

Despite the odd atmosphere, the middle-aged man still professionally asked the question that many cultivators in the Nine Provinces were very curious about.

'When I reached this place, what I saw was pretty much like you described, a volcanic rock island suddenly on the surface of the sea, with all kinds of spiritual power in chaos around here. If asked for something special, at that time, the seawater in the Deep Sea Abyss had not yet backfilled the space once occupied by the filth, and there was a strange odor permeating inside the space.'

'Oh!? May I ask, Elder Chi, what was that smell?'

Upon hearing something different, the middle-aged man's spirits instantly lifted.

'That smell... it somewhat resembled a vegetable commonly eaten by the populace, known as chives.'

Upon this, the Sound Recording Jade Scroll fell into another deathly silence.

Half a moment later, the somewhat disheartened Vice President of Tingfeng Building continued, 'So, Elder Chi, who do you think was the timely figure who secretly cleared the filth, invisibly saving millions of lives in the Nine Provinces?'

'I suppose...'"

The content of the jade scroll abruptly ended there.

Following that, a segment without any emotion stated, "Should you wish to know what happens next, please purchase part two of the Sound Recording Jade Scroll at your local Tingfeng Building in five days' time. If you pay ten times the price, you can get access to the content of the second part ahead of time."

"Tingfeng Building, these intelligence workers, really know how to keep people guessing."

Blazing Sun Sword Sect, the third peak.

In a side hall, the red-haired Junior Master, holding a Sound Recording Jade Scroll, disdainfully muttered.

Sitting below him, Zhao Dabao put down his tea cup, chuckling, "Junior Master, that's also a tactic in the business world, just like how we cultivators need not only to cultivate the Dao but also to learn various techniques."

Ever since he obtained the Eternal Lotus in Qingmu Secret Realm and successfully exchanged it for Taiyin Essence with a cultivator from White Emperor Pavilion, Fatty Zhao hadn't restrained the pace of his cultivation; by now, he had already achieved Foundation Establishment.

"I don't understand these tactics, but selling this Sound Recording Jade Scroll for a high-grade Spirit Stone and still not providing all the content, I might as well have bought the cheaper paper publications."

The red-haired Junior Master looked down at the jade scroll in his hands and then, with a speculative look, said again, "Dabao, who do you think Senior Chi from Kunlun Immortal Palace is talking about?"

Upon hearing this, Fatty Zhao tapped gently on the rim of his tea cup a few times and then started to speak with a smile.

"Junior Master, do you still remember the time in Qingmu Secret Realm..."

Before he could finish, a hurried Zhao Dabao suddenly entered from outside the hall.

"Dabao!"

"Grandpa, what are you doing here?"

Seeing his grandfather, Fatty Zhao quickly got up from his seat.

The red-haired Junior Master also stood up and respectfully performed a salute.

"Dabao..."

The old man looked solemn, his gaze fixed on his grandson, hesitating to speak.

"Grandpa, what's wrong, did something happen to my father?"

Seeing his grandfather's expression, the smile on Fatty Zhao's chubby face instantly faded, and he instinctively worried about his father, who was far away in Gusu City.

"Your father is fine... he's living comfortably in Gusu City."

"Then what is it?"

"White Emperor Pavilion is gone."

Upon hearing it wasn't his father who was in trouble, Zhao Dabao's face, which was about to relax into a smile, stiffened momentarily and his pupils constricted sharply.

The red-haired Junior Master expressed his shock aloud.

"Junior Master Zhao, are you joking? White Emperor Pavilion is one of the Four Great Immortal Sects, how could it just disappear?"

"Could it be..."

At this point, he suddenly connected the recent incident at the Nine Provinces Sea Eye with the disappearance of White Emperor Pavilion.

"Could it be... that the cultivators of White Emperor Pavilion disappeared while trying to cleanse the Sea Eye of its filth?"

"Humph, then you're giving them too much credit."

Meanwhile, Zhao Dabao had also recovered his composure.

He furrowed his brows, interrupting between Junior Master and grandfather, asking,

"Junior Master, Grandpa, let's not worry about how White Emperor Pavilion disappeared for now.

"I just want to ask, if White Emperor Pavilion is gone, then what about the Taiyin Essence they produced…"

"It's also gone."

"Hiss––––"