242: Chapter 241 Chu Jinghong

"The signs of the flood dragon soul Awakening are becoming more and more obvious," Great Elder Xuanjizi said in a heavy voice. "At this rate, the flood dragon soul will completely awaken in a month at most."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow furrowed slightly. "The Grand Elder mentioned last time that someone is secretly using evil arts to awaken the flood dragon soul. Have you found out who it is?"

Great Elder Xuanjizi didn't answer directly. Instead, he took out a dark green Jade Slip from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou.

"This is a transmission intercepted by Tianji Peak three days ago. Listen to it."

Jiang Hanzhou took the Jade Slip and sent his Divine Sense into it.

A fragmented voice entered his Sea of Consciousness—

"...Dragon Essence... reached a critical... Silver Wing Family... within three days... must... blood sacrifice... within Dragon Abyss Palace... already arranged..."

The voice was extremely blurry, as if it had undergone some kind of encryption. But a few words were clear enough to make one's heart sink.

Silver Wing Family. blood sacrifice. Within Dragon Abyss Palace. Already arranged.

Jiang Hanzhou looked up at Great Elder Xuanjizi.

Great Elder Xuanjizi's expression was grave. "This transmission was sent from within Dragon Abyss Palace. The sender's aura was masked by some secret technique. Tianji Peak tracked it for three days and only narrowed it down to a general area—Heavenly Sword Peak."

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted slightly.

Heavenly Sword Peak.

The place that held the deepest hostility toward him, had the closest relationship with Ao Zhan, and was currently the most likely to spread rumors to smear him.

"Does the Grand Elder mean... someone from Heavenly Sword Peak is colluding with the Silver Wing Family?"

Great Elder Xuanjizi shook his head, then nodded. "I'm not sure. But this clue cannot be ignored."

He walked up to Jiang Hanzhou and looked him straight in the eye. "Han Zhou, I summoned you today for two reasons: one is to tell you the latest situation regarding the ancient flood dragon remains, and the second is—to remind you of something."

"What is it?"

"Be careful of the Heavenly Sword Peak's main peak Elder, Chu Jinghong."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow twitched slightly.

Chu Jinghong. The main peak Elder of Heavenly Sword Peak and Ao Zhan's mentor. Among the seven peak Elders of Dragon Abyss Palace, she was the only Dragon Elephant Mutual Harmony powerhouse who had reached a god-like level in the Dao of the sword. Her strength was said to be even above that of Great Elder Xuanjizi.

"Ao Zhan is her most prized Disciple," Great Elder Xuanjizi said calmly. "You defeated Ao Zhan in public, which was equivalent to giving her a harsh slap in the face. Given Chu Jinghong's personality, she won't let this matter rest."

He paused and said word by word, "She won't act personally—she disdains the act of the strong bullying the weak. But her Disciples, her followers, and those who want to curry favor with Heavenly Sword Peak will do everything they can to find trouble for you."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment before nodding. "This Disciple understands."

Great Elder Xuanjizi looked at him, a flicker of complex light in his eyes. "You're not afraid?"

"I am," Jiang Hanzhou said plainly. "But being afraid doesn't solve the problem."

Great Elder Xuanjizi was slightly taken aback, then he smiled. The smile was very faint, yet it carried a hint of gratification.

"Good." He turned back toward the star map. "Go. I'll have someone inform Master Xue Mu. Soon, the Sect will have a large-scale exploration mission for the ancient flood dragon remains, and you will be on the list. Until then—Cultivate well, and stay alive."

Jiang Hanzhou stood up, gave a solemn salute, and turned to leave.

As he walked out of the Tianji Peak main hall, a cold voice came from behind him:

"Jiang Hanzhou."

He turned back to see Teng Yuzhi walking out from the corridor at the side of the hall. She wore a plain white Daoist robe today, her long hair pinned up with a wooden hairpin, and that sharp green sword still hung at her waist.

Her face was even paler than the last time they met, but there was an indescribable gravity in her cold eyes.

"Senior Sister Teng." Jiang Hanzhou nodded slightly.

Teng Yuzhi walked up to him, remained silent for a moment, and then took out a palm-sized jade talisman from her sleeve and handed it to him.

"My Master asked me to hand this to you."

Jiang Hanzhou took the jade talisman and sent his Divine Sense into it.

There was only one sentence in the jade talisman, written in the tone of the Bibo Pool Elder, Master Qingxuan—

"Among the Inner Sect Disciples of Heavenly Sword Peak, three people secretly left the Sect a month ago, and their whereabouts are unknown. One of them is Chu Jinghong's Named Disciple, named Han Qing."

Jiang Hanzhou looked up at Teng Yuzhi.

Teng Yuzhi looked at him and said word by word, "What Han Qing is best at is concealment and tracking. The time he left the Sect was exactly when Blood Shark Island began its layout for the ancient flood dragon remains."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow suddenly furrowed.

An Inner Sect Disciple of Heavenly Sword Peak secretly left the Sect when Blood Shark Island began its layout for the ancient flood dragon remains, and his whereabouts were unknown. Meanwhile, the transmission intercepted by Tianji Peak had its sender's location locked to Heavenly Sword Peak.

The connection between these events was self-evident.

"Why would Master Qingxuan help me?" Jiang Hanzhou asked.

Teng Yuzhi was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "Master said that Dragon Abyss Palace belongs to Dragon Abyss Palace, not to any one individual. If someone really colludes with external enemies and harms the Sect, no matter which peak they belong to, they must be rooted out."

She paused, looking directly at Jiang Hanzhou. "Furthermore—Master said that your path should not be cut short by those underhanded methods."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a long time.

Then, he put the jade talisman into his sumeru pouch and solemnly cupped his fists. "Please thank Master Qingxuan for me."

Teng Yuzhi nodded and turned to leave. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and said without looking back, "Jiang Hanzhou."

"Yes?"

"Only you and I know the information in that jade talisman. As for Elder Xue's side, you can decide for yourself whether to tell him."

With those words, she strode away and disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Jiang Hanzhou stood in place, watching her receding figure, and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he took a deep breath and turned to walk toward Red Fire Peak.

Red Fire Peak, Lihuo Hall.

After listening to Jiang Hanzhou's recount, Master Xue Mu was silent for a long time.

He stood by the window, looking at the churning sea of clouds outside, his fingers lightly tapping the windowsill. The tapping was very rhythmic, one after another, as if he were calculating something.

"Chu Jinghong..." he finally spoke, his voice low. "That woman really couldn't hold back."

He turned around and looked at Jiang Hanzhou. "Han Zhou, do you know why Chu Jinghong cares so much about Ao Zhan's victory or defeat?"

Jiang Hanzhou shook his head.

Master Xue Mu gave a cold laugh. "Because Ao Zhan is the 'Sword Seed' she chose."

"Sword Seed?"

"Heavenly Sword Peak has a secret technique called the 'Sword Seed Legacy'," Master Xue Mu explained. "Every generation of Heavenly Sword Peak's main peak Elder will choose one person from their Disciples to plant a 'Sword Seed' in their body using a secret method. That Sword Seed contains the Elder's lifelong sword Dao insights and a portion of their cultivation. When the Disciple grows to a certain level, the Sword Seed will awaken, helping them break through their shackles in one go."

He paused and said word by word, "The Sword Seed in Ao Zhan's body has been planted for three years. According to Chu Jinghong's plan, after the Inner Sect Minor Competition, she would trigger the Sword Seed to help Ao Zhan break through to the Dragon Fetus Realm."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow twitched slightly.

"But your strike disrupted her plan," Master Xue Mu continued. "Ao Zhan lost, and he lost completely. Although the Sword Seed is still there, Ao Zhan's Dao Heart was cut with a crack by your strike. If that crack in his Dao Heart cannot be repaired, he won't be able to break through even if the Sword Seed is triggered."

He looked at Jiang Hanzhou, a flicker of complex light in his eyes. "Therefore, the person Chu Jinghong hates most right now is you."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "So, those rumors, and the matter with Han Qing—"

"They are most likely related to her." Master Xue Mu nodded. "But she won't be so stupid as to act personally. Chu Jinghong is a person of deep calculation; she is best at killing with a borrowed knife. The Disciples spreading the rumors are her people. Han Qing is also her person. But she will definitely keep herself completely clean. Even if the matter comes to light, it won't be traced back to her."

He walked up to Jiang Hanzhou and patted his shoulder. "Han Zhou, your Master will give you a third piece of advice—"

"In Dragon Abyss Palace, strength isn't everything. Human hearts, factions, and interests—these things are sharper than blades and swords. You can disdain playing these games, but you must know that others are playing them."

Jiang Hanzhou looked up at Master Xue Mu. In those eyes, there was no fear, no anger, only a calm determination.

"This Disciple understands," he said plainly. "But this Disciple also understands one thing."

"What is it?"

"In the face of absolute strength, all conspiracies are paper tigers."

Master Xue Mu was slightly taken aback, and then he laughed.