351: Yin Gu is no longer what it used to be.

The two words "trash" were like two cold, poisonous thorns, piercing deep into Seventh Heaven Venerable's heart.

His face alternated between green and pale, his fists clenched tightly, fingernails digging deep into his palms, yet he dared not refute in the slightest.

In the Hall of Souls, strength was paramount, and failure in a mission meant enduring the wrath and disdain of superiors.

"Lord Four Heaven Venerable! That Venerable Donghua is extremely cunning; his strength is definitely First Revolution Dou Zun Peak! He is absolutely incomparable to an ordinary Nine-Star! This matter—"

Seventh Heaven Venerable still wanted to explain.

"Enough."

Four Heaven Venerable coldly interrupted him.

"First Revolution Dou Zun Peak? Hmph, perhaps he has some ability. But that is not the reason for your failure."

The phantom in the light screen seemed to sway slightly, its tone carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

"Sound Valley and that Heavenly Sound Spirit Body are temporarily on hold. That Venerable Donghua can also be put aside for now."

"What?"

Seventh Heaven Venerable suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Four Heaven Venerable! The blood feud of my two brothers, and the prestige of the Hall of Souls—"

"Prestige?"

Four Heaven Venerable sneered.

"Old Seven, are you teaching this Venerable how to do things?"

A cold killing intent permeated through the light screen, instantly making Seventh Heaven Venerable feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, daring not to speak further.

"Listen,"

Four Heaven Venerable's voice grew serious.

"We just received confirmed intelligence that an ancient Dou Sheng relic is suspected to be appearing soon in the Eastern Region of Central Plains!"

"The attention of the high-ranking officials in the Hall has been completely drawn there; several Heaven Venerables and even the Vice Hall Master might go. Compared to a Dou Sheng relic, what is a Heavenly Sound Spirit Body or a First Revolution Dou Zun of unknown origin?"

"Now, all available forces must prepare to contend for the Dou Sheng relic! There's no time for your petty matters! Understand?"

Seventh Heaven Venerable's heart sank completely.

In the face of such a monumental opportunity as a Dou Sheng relic, the losses of their brothers and the temporary loss of face for the Hall of Souls became insignificant.

The Hall would not allocate forces for his revenge at this time.

He could only grit his teeth, forcibly suppress all his hatred and humiliation, lower his head, and reply with a dry voice.

"Yes, this subordinate understands."

"Mm, take care of yourself, and recover from your injuries as soon as possible. Perhaps you can still be useful in the contention for the relic."

After Four Heaven Venerable's phantom finished speaking, it directly cut off the communication.

Inside the secret chamber, silence returned.

Seventh Heaven Venerable stood alone, his body trembling slightly from extreme anger and unwillingness.

After a long while, he slammed his fist fiercely against the nearby stone wall, and the hard stone wall instantly shattered.

"Venerable Donghua, Mu Qingxian, just you wait! A Dou Sheng relic, is it? Once I recover from my injuries, if I can gain an opportunity in the relic, I will make you repay a hundredfold!"

His eyes gleamed with mad and malicious light.

Temporary forbearance was for more cruel revenge in the future.

And the information about the Dou Sheng relic was like a seed planted in his heart: perhaps, it was not only an opportunity but also a turning point for revenge?

On the way to Sound Valley, with the help of the pills provided by Jiang Donghua, Mu Qingxian's injuries and toxins were temporarily suppressed, and her complexion improved greatly.

Perhaps out of absolute trust in her savior, or perhaps because Sound Valley's current situation indeed required a strong ally, she did not conceal too much, slowly revealing the true situation of Sound Valley.

Jiang Donghua listened quietly, appearing calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was somewhat surprised.

According to the rumors on the Fighting Qi Continent, one Hall, one Pagoda, two Sects, and three valleys were the top overt forces in Central Plains, balancing each other.

Sound Valley, as one of the three valleys, should have a profound foundation and numerous experts, but according to Mu Qingxian, the current situation of Sound Valley was extremely dire.

"To be frank, Senior,"

Mu Qingxian's tone carried a hint of bitterness.

"Currently, the highest combat power in my Sound Valley that can move freely and possesses complete fighting strength is indeed this junior, an Eight-Star Dou Zun. As for the other seniors and elders in the Valley..."

She paused, a flicker of sadness in her eyes.

"One is the Valley Master from the generation before last, my grandmaster, who suffered irreversible severe injuries in a great war a hundred years ago. Now, she relies entirely on a breath of vital essence and secret techniques within the Valley to sustain her life, sleeping deep within the forbidden area. Unless it's a disaster that threatens the Valley's destruction, she absolutely cannot be disturbed, and each time she awakens to act, it will accelerate her demise."

"Another is the Grand Elder who guards the Scripture Pavilion. His lifespan is nearing its end, and to perpetuate the sect's legacy, he has long since self-sealed, entering a state of pseudo-death-like slumber to slow the passage of his lifespan. His emergence from seclusion once means eternal annihilation."

Mu Qingxian's voice deepened.

"It can be said that the current Sound Valley, though seemingly among the three valleys, is actually strong on the outside but weak on the inside, already on the verge of collapse. Otherwise, the Hall of Souls would not have dared to attack me so easily."

At this point, even this Valley Master, usually graceful and noble, couldn't help but show a few traces of embarrassment and discomfort on her face.

After all, the weakness of one's sect being known to outsiders was not a glorious matter.

Before Jiang Donghua could speak, the Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect, who was carefully following beside them, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"How is this possible? Valley Master Mu, as far as I know, Sound Valley should still have a true pillar of strength, that Grand Elder, Old Man Tian Yin, who has long since entered the realm of high-level Semi-Saint! With him present, how would the Hall of Souls dare to be so presumptuous?"

The Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect had been active in Central Plains for many years and had heard rumors of the top combat powers of various major forces.

The name of Old Man Tian Yin was extremely renowned a hundred years ago.

Upon hearing the words "Old Man Tian Yin," Mu Qingxian's delicate body trembled almost imperceptibly, her eyes instantly filled with deeper sorrow and an indescribable complex emotion.

She was silent for a moment, finally letting out a long sigh, shaking her head, and saying with an incredibly certain tone.

"Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect is right; my Sound Valley did indeed once have Patriarch Tian Yin, a Semi-Saint expert, as its guardian."

She raised her head, her gaze meeting Jiang Donghua's and the Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect's, with an unquestionable frankness.

"I did not lie to you. Patriarch Tian Yin already passed away a hundred years ago."

This news was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, leaving the Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect dumbfounded!

"Passed away?! If this news gets out—!"

He simply couldn't imagine what kind of monstrous waves would be stirred up once the news of Sound Valley losing its Semi-Saint expert leaked!

Those hostile forces, eyeing them covetously, would probably immediately tear Sound Valley apart and divide it!

A hint of understanding also flashed in Jiang Donghua's eyes.

So that was it; this was the root cause of Sound Valley's current difficult situation.

The fall of a Semi-Saint expert was undoubtedly a devastating blow to a top force.

It was already not easy for Sound Valley to have kept this information hidden for a hundred years without collapsing.

Mu Qingxian looked at the two of them, her tone carrying a hint of plea.

"This matter concerns the survival of Sound Valley; I hope Senior and Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect can keep it confidential."

Jiang Donghua nodded slightly.

He had no interest in publicizing this.

The Sect Master of the Five Poisons Sect also quickly swore to guarantee that he would never leak it.

For a time, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy. During the flight, Jiang Donghua appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but his mind was rapidly calculating.

Sound Valley's weakness, for him, was a crisis, but also an opportunity.

An ancient sect desperately needing strong allies, its accumulated heritage, knowledge, and connections might provide him with considerable help.

And what he needed to do was to possess enough power to deter everything before the Hall of Souls or other forces discovered the truth about Sound Valley.