Wait a minute, where is my master?

Zhao Dabao once again found himself embroiled in the matter of the self-destruction of the Ice and Fire Spirit Roots, but let's not dwell on that for now.

Yu State.

The original site of the White Emperor Pavilion sect.

The pavilions and towers here had not changed much in appearance, except that a nearby mountain peak was missing half its height, sheared off in a clean and smooth break, as if sliced by some sharp tool. And on the ground, there appeared a huge pit, with traces of soil and sand caved in, which looked like a fist imprint magnified thousands of times.

Next to this fist-shaped pit.

Four uniquely fashioned elders were gathered together, discussing how to resolve the issue of the White Emperor Pavilion of the Nine Provinces Realm.

The Four Great Immortal Sects and the Kunlun Immortal Palace of the Nine Provinces Realm.

In the eyes of the many minor sects and numerous loose cultivators, even the disciples of their own sects, despite these groups all being cultivators of the Righteous Path, their relationship was generally competitive rather than friendly.

Particularly among the Four Great Immortal Sects, due to their similar power levels, it was commonplace for disciples to fight to the death over opportunities or cultivation resources; animosities that not infrequently became mortal feuds.

Yet, what these mid-to-low tier cultivators seldom knew was that in the Immortal Realm, those ancestors who ascended to immortality mostly served in the Immortal Court and thus became colleagues.

Therefore, within these top-tier sects of the Nine Provinces Realm, there existed a rule known only to the ancestors and current leaders of the sects.

That was, no matter how fierce the infighting between the sects, they were forbidden from completely uprooting each other. If an ancestor or a sect member indeed committed an unforgivable grave error, then the rest could join forces to eliminate the offender.

Yet, after executing the perpetrator, it was imperative that the lineage and teachings were continued.

Moreover, not only did the lineage need to be preserved, but the other sects were also required to provide covert assistance.

After all, the Immortal Realm was still waiting for fresh blood. Cultivators who ascended from the Lower Realm after numerous tribulations were each greatly coveted.

"Gentlemen, what should we do now? The old scholar's Truth-Telling Skill has been used to check, and only a few disciples of the entire White Emperor Pavilion were unaware of the matter, just a couple of cats and kittens. One of the Four Great Immortal Sects can't possibly rely on just them to stand tall, can it?"

One of the four, a gaunt old man with a loud voice but an exceptionally thin frame, spoke up.

"Hmph, to rely on them is a joke. They probably can't even survive a month in these mountains, let alone maintain the White Emperor Pavilion," the gaunt elder stated after finishing his piece, and an imposing, handsome old man with fiery-red hair across from him, exuding the air of a sword immortal, followed up.

"I say, why not simply report the events of Nine Provinces to the Upper Realm and let the ancestors up there make the decision?"

The one who spoke this time was the Old Dean from Qingmu Academy, Yan Chu, who had traveled thousands of miles from Qing State.

"That's a possibility. However, the White Emperor Pearl, which connected the White Emperor Pavilion to the Upper Realm's Taoist lineage, seems to be missing. Old Scholar, your Qingmu Academy's connection to the Upper Realm's Taoist lineage seems rather good with that of the White Emperor Pavilion. Why don't you help us pass on the message?"

The gaunt Elder Valley Master of Pan Shi Valley, with his hands behind his back, looked like an old farmer as he turned to Yan Chu.

"As for the matter of relations with the White Emperor Pavilion's Upper Realm Taoist lineage, my Qingmu Academy is hardly in a position to compare with the Blazing Sun Sword Sect.

"Therefore, it's better if Master Lu takes care of this. After all, I've just seen one of his disciples collecting quite a bit of Taiyin Essence within the pavilion. It's only right that they should do this favor."

The Old Dean gently stroked his beard, deftly passing the issue on to the fiery-haired ancestor of the Blazing Sun Sword Sect who stood beside him.

"Cough, cough, as you know, my sect has recently accepted a young fellow with Ice and Fire Spirit Roots, and the White Emperor's Cold River was destroyed by a demon cultivator, so you see..."

Before he could finish speaking, the gaunt elder interrupted him.

"Elder Lu, you need not explain; just tell us whether or not you will take charge of the transmission. In my opinion, your skin is just not as thick as that old scholar's. If a disciple from his sect had done this, he would surely not bother with explanations."

No sooner had these words been spoken than both the old dean and the Ancestor of the Blazing Sun Sword Sect opened their mouths to speak.

Yet a light cough quieted the conversation among the three.

"Ahem, gentlemen, as for the matter of reporting, it matters not who undertakes it, and the issue of leaving behind a legacy can be resolved. However, the most pressing concern now is that although most of the White Emperor Pavilion's tomes are within the Ten Thousand Skill Pavilion, the core teachings that are crucial to the legacy have disappeared along with the White Emperor Pearl.

"Without the core teachings, this legacy can hardly be considered that of the White Emperor Pavilion anymore.

"Therefore, I suggest that our factions jointly report to the Upper Realm what has transpired in the Nine Provinces Realm to verify the authenticity of the events and furthermore, find a way to have a person from the White Emperor Pavilion lineage in the Upper Realm descend to leave behind the core teachings."

When Elder Valley Master Chi spoke up, all three turned their gaze towards him.

After he finished speaking, the elders from Pan Shi Valley and the Blazing Sun Sword Sect nodded in agreement.

But Yan Chu had a difficult look on his face.

The device for communicating with the Upper Realm at Qingmu Academy needed another twenty or so days before it could be reactivated, yet he couldn't refute the reason in the other party's arguments.

"Mr. Yan, do you perhaps have a different suggestion?"

Elder Chi, upon seeing that the old dean of Qingmu Academy remained silent after his speech, instead becoming silent, took the initiative to ask.

"Ah, Mr. Chi, you jest. The device for communicating with the Upper Realm in my academy was just used recently; it is not yet due, and I fear we cannot activate it again so soon."

The old dean laughed dryly twice, revealing an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Oh? Did the Upper Realm send down any message, then? If it's related to the Nine Provinces Immortal World, might it be convenient to share?"

Upon hearing that the communication device had just been activated, Elder Chi's eyes showed a hint of curiosity. Normally, even though he was the person with the highest cultivation strength present, he would not have asked about this.

Your Kunlun Immortal Palace lineage, after all, looms a head above the Four Great Immortal Sects in both the Upper and Lower Realms.

However, this information is, after all, part of someone else's privacy.

But as of late, the Nine Provinces have been beset with troubles. The Demon Sect has been causing disorder, Great Xia has inexplicably produced a mysterious Taoist as the imperial uncle, and the Nine Provinces Sea Eye was unsealed without warning.

Not to mention, there is the disaster for the Nine Provinces Realm that he had calculated would occur within the next year.

Thus, Elder Chi decided to inquire today.

"Cough cough, it's not really a big deal..."

The old dean's face showed hesitation as he comforted himself internally,

"It's not that I intend to deceive you all; I am just worried that you won't withstand the shock of Taoist Jin Xu's lightning.

"Moreover, the unsealing of the Sea Eye has proven that it wasn't the work of Taoist Jin Xu. Seeing the reactions of you all, your devices for contacting the Upper Realm haven't been used recently either, so it's certain that you haven't received any messages about capturing Taoist Jin Xu.

"Thus, there must be some mistake regarding whether he is indeed a demon. It's better for me to tell you a benign lie."

After convincing himself, he put on an apologetic smile, ready to think of a way to pull the wool over their eyes.