Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Oh."

After hearing the Taoist's words, Yu Yaoer reluctantly reverted to her "generous and wealthy" state.

The three of them quickly gathered their belongings, left the Water Mansion, bid farewell to Grandma Yu, and flew off into the distance.

——————

Meanwhile, at the original site of the White Emperor Pavilion.

The Old Dean, Yan Chu, pondered for a long while. After the other party still didn't believe him following three well-intentioned lies,

he had no choice but to reveal the real situation about the message conveyed by the Upper Realm to the Elder of Pan Shi Valley, along with the whole story and his own concerns.

The gaunt old man listened to his explanation, his face first showing a trace of solemnity, then his lifeless small eyes filled with doubt.

"Old scholar, if you're going to deceive me, at least make it logical.

"You say that the old Taoist, Tianxing, has disappeared, I can accept that. But that little guy with no signs of spiritual power fluctuations who accompanied him when he asked us for help. You're telling me he is the one who recently became notorious, who killed Shen Zhi in two moves in Qingmu City, and saved a hundred thousand commoners in Shangjing City of Great Xia?

"And after he left the Qingmu Secret Realm, your Qingmu Academy suddenly received a message and a portrait from the Upper Realm, claiming he is a demon, and instructing you to monitor his movements and, if possible, capture him?"

As the Elder Valley Master of Pan Shi Valley spoke, he slowly straightened his stooping back.

"I guarantee on the honor of my sect that what I am telling this time is absolutely the truth.

"Furthermore, the deeds of Tianxing's apprentice are not limited to these. The demon extermination campaign at Tingfeng Building was also initiated by him. The strange Heavenly Tribulation that covered Shangjing City recently and the elimination of Shen Zhi, as well as stopping that mad woman at White Emperor Pavilion and cleansing the Sea Eye—all of these were his doing," the Old Dean added.

After finishing, he paused for a moment, seemingly astonished by the multitude of incidents Jin Xu managed to stir up in just a few months.

When he snapped back to reality, his face took on a helpless look as he spoke to the gaunt old man again.

"Before receiving the message from the Upper Realm, I had met this young Taoist. Although it was a brief encounter, I could tell that he is definitely not the villain that the Upper Realm claims him to be. That's why I temporarily suppressed the news, aiming to investigate quietly. I was planning to wait a month, then confirm with the Upper Realm Taoist again.

"And even if we were to take ten thousand steps back, assuming this young Taoist truly is an evil being, with the strength he has shown so far, could we be sure that all of us senior sect masters acting together would definitely be able to capture him?"

Upon hearing this, the gaunt old man was momentarily taken aback.

Logically, he couldn't understand how a mere commoner could achieve such cultivation strength in just a few months.

Although he hadn't paid much attention to the recent events in the Nine Provinces Realm, he certainly had heard about them.

With actual events laid before his eyes and the Old Dean's emphatic assurance,

he now believed it six parts out of ten.

The old man reflected for a moment on the young Taoist's achievements.

After a brief silence, he slowly shook his head.

If the young man really did kill Shen Zhi in two moves, then even if all of them joined forces, they might not be successful in apprehending him.

To say nothing else, just the claim of killing an old and skilled practitioner from the Demon Sect in two moves made the Elder Valley Master of Pan Shi Valley feel it was something he certainly couldn't achieve. And not just him; he believed that even the recently departed Ancestor of the Kunlun Immortal Palace, Chi Dao, who was already in the True World Immortal Realm,

might not dare to guarantee that he could capture Shen Zhi in two moves.

Seeing him shake his head, the Old Dean heaved a long sigh.

"Ah, now you see why I didn't tell you the truth in the first place, right?"

The gaunt old man returned his straightened back to its hunched position, pondered for a moment, and then asked,

"Old scholar, what do you plan to do now? Wait for the communication artifact's cooling period to end and then contact the Upper Realm, or...?"

"Simply waiting is definitely not an option. The Shui Clan Elder mentioned before that Jin Xu is currently with the Shui Clan, so I plan to go and meet him, to probe a bit."

The Old Dean pondered for a moment, then outlined his plan to the other.

"Since that's the case, old man, I'll accompany you on this journey."

"You?"

"If this kid really has a demonic nature, having a Mahayana Realm body cultivator like me should be somewhat helpful, right? Even if we can't overcome them, our chances of escaping will be higher."

The gaunt old man paused briefly after saying this, and then added, "Besides, I want to see how that mundane youngster following that old Taoist managed to achieve such cultivation and strength in just a few months.

"Oh, and on the way, tell me about that old Taoist Tianxing's disappearance, will you?"

Without waiting for the Old Dean's consent, he activated his Spiritual Power, dug into the mountain rock beneath him, and hurried towards the direction of the Shui Clan with himself and Yan Chu.

"You... ah, fine then, let's go together. As for the disappearance of that old Taoist Tianxing, I think it might have something to do with the ink jade..."

In the distant sky, a huge blue stone flew rapidly towards the East Sea, on which two old men could vaguely be seen whispering to each other.

Thus, the elders of the two great Immortal Sects and Chi Dao set off on the road to the Shui Clan.

——————

Miao State, five hundred miles underground.

Within the extensive underground palace of the Demon Sect.

The throne, made of countless black crystal stones, bore the silent figure of someone wrapped in a black robe.

After a long while.

"Sigh!"

The person in the black robe let out a heavy, gender-neutral sigh and then turned their gaze to the oddly shaped Transformation Mother Tree below.

At the foot of this tree, there should have been a large vat and an old woman making soup.

But now both the vat and the person were gone without a trace.

Only the noticeably cleaner ring of stone slabs on the ground appeared to prove that something had once been there.

The person in the black robe stared at the base of the tree for a good while before sighing heavily again.

As the Great Elder of the Demon Sect, he felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion welling up within him.

He took out a piece of ink jade-colored figurine from his robes and stared at it for a long time before muttering in a low voice.

"Demon Lord, Little Yin is incapable, I fear I may not be able to rescue you from the seal."

This trinket had been a gift from the Demon Lord to the Great Elder the first time they met, but now it had become his spiritual comfort.

The Great Elder of the Demon Sect first murmured to himself in a low voice, then suddenly became agitated.

He grasped the ink jade figurine and stood up abruptly from the throne, pacing throughout the vast underground palace as he spoke.

"Demon Lord, the plan of our sect was progressing so well. We've lain dormant for a thousand years, secretly garnering strength and carefully preparing several plans and contingencies to rescue you. We even had as many as five Sealing Breaking Methods prepared.

"But... out of nowhere came this little Taoist!

"And then everything changed!

"Everything changed!"

The more the Great Elder talked, a droplet of liquid fell from within the black robe.

He... appeared to be crying.