434: Chapter 434 The Threat

After a brief but information-packed exchange, Dongfang Li's eyes flickered slightly. She had already changed her previous mind and said softly:

"Why don't we head toward the right?"

Gu Yunshen and Pavilion Master Shen exchanged a glance. Although they were somewhat confused, they simply assumed their Junior Sister had changed her mind and agreed with Peak Master Chen's reasoning.

In this world of glaciers, there were no clues to begin with. Going in either direction was a matter of luck, so there was no need to overthink it.

The most urgent matter at hand was to capture a living witness.

Whether it was a human or a member of the Yao Race, interrogating them for the details of this world was the key.

Dongfang Li deliberately slowed her pace, falling to the rear of the group with Chen Xuan. She tried her best to keep her expression calm and not show any signs of abnormality.

She asked quietly via Heart Lake Voice Transmission, "Was what Peak Master Chen said earlier true?"

She had intentionally slowed down, so she and Chen Xuan were essentially bringing up the rear of the party.

Chen Xuan didn't waste words. He casually raised a hand, palm upward. Soon, a faint wisp of black mist billowed out. When the mist dissipated, a jade fragment as dark and lustrous as ink lay quietly in his palm.

Dongfang Li's gaze swept over it, and she immediately recognized the object. It was indeed a piece of Chaos Void Jade.

Chen Xuan watched her as she lightly patted her chest. Why did it feel like she was a bit nervous?

It was like being tracked down in real life by an internet friend!

Dongfang Li did indeed have the strange sensation of meeting an online acquaintance in person. However, she was currently replaying her impressions of Number Three in her mind.

Judging by the other party's words and actions in the Hunxu Space, he was either there for god-rank pills or to trade for saint-rank magical artifacts. He spoke of slaying great demons while laughing and chatting. Combined with the deep heritage of the Dao Seeking Sect and the shocking method the Sect Master had used earlier to slay a Yao Sovereign from across the void...

Linking all these points together, Chen Xuan's identity became increasingly clear. She had no choice but to believe it.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the waves in her heart, and spoke softly again, "I never expected Peak Master Chen to be Number Three. It is truly a pleasure to meet you."

Chen Xuan was slightly taken aback. She believed it that easily?

He naturally hadn't expected that the powerful persona "Number Three" had established in the Hunxu Space would lead Dongfang Li to complete the identity verification through her own imagination.

Originally, he thought he would have to find an opportunity for both of them to enter the Hunxu Space and use another Chaos Void Jade fragment as evidence.

But it didn't matter. Even if verification was needed, he had two pieces of Chaos Void Jade.

It was enough to keep this Pavilion Master Dongfang fooled.

"What exactly did Peak Master Chen mean when he said Number Eight belongs to the Yao Race?"

Dongfang Li continued to press with the Heart Lake Voice Transmission, "Did Peak Master Chen discover some sort of clue?"

"Does Miss Fang know about the events on the Rain God Continent?"

Before she could answer, Chen Xuan continued on his own, "At that time, a Disciple of my sect happened to be traveling on the Rain God Continent and witnessed that catastrophe firsthand. The Tower Master of the Demon Suppressing Tower defected, the Demon Race Army took advantage of the opening, and the people were plunged into misery as blood flowed like a river."

"And the instigator of all this was Number Eight."

He just grabbed a bucket of dirty water and splashed it onto Number Eight.

Hearing this, Dongfang Li nodded slightly. "I've heard the general situation mentioned by Qing Yan."

Chen Xuan began to fabricate a story. "Because of that, I followed the clues from intercepted secret letters and the movement patterns of the Yao Race to confirm Number Eight's identity."

"She is indeed a fox demon who has cultivated for many years. The ones who persuaded the Tower Master of the Demon Suppressing Tower to defect were the demon servants under her command."

Of the two members of the Yao Race he had slain in the Flame Continent, one was a fox demon and the other was a tiger demon.

Fox demons were always associated with 'cunning' and 'seduction,' which made them perfect to pin on the mysterious Number Eight. Between the two choices, he naturally picked the former.

"Because of this, Number Eight also learned of the existence of our Dao Seeking Sect."

Chen Xuan continued to embellish the story. "She spread rumors on the Rain God Continent that my Dao Seeking Sect would personally come to the rescue. Her purpose was to probe the roots and strength of my Dao Seeking Sect to pave the way for her subsequent conspiracies."

Dongfang Li realized, "Could it be... that this is the reason Peak Master Chen's Dao Seeking Sect revealed itself to the world?"

Chen Xuan sighed softly. "Actually, the Sect Master had no intention of appearing so hastily. It was just that when I saw the people of the Rain God Continent displaced and the Yao Race running rampant, I couldn't hold back. I set up a defensive grand array on the Rain God Continent to resist the Yao Race's offensive and protect the people of several cities."

"You know what happened after that, Miss Fang—the commotion from the grand array was too great to hide, so the Dao Seeking Sect simply revealed itself to the world."

"Peak Master Chen is truly an upright person who cares for the common people."

Dongfang Li looked up at the white-robed figure beside her. Her eyes seemed clear and naive, and her tone was full of genuine praise, without a hint of hypocrisy.

Chen Xuan was stunned by her earnest praise. *Stop praising me; if you keep going, I'll actually feel embarrassed.*

Dongfang Li hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Why didn't Peak Master Chen directly expose Number Eight's identity within the Chaos Void Jade later?"

"Instead, you chose to stop appearing yourself?"

Chen Xuan's expression remained calm, but his mind was racing to come up with an explanation. "It wasn't that I didn't expose her, but rather that it would have been meaningless."

"Hmm?"

"Information seems to be shared freely within the Chaos Void Jade, but in reality, everyone has their own hidden agendas and is wary of one another. Even if I had exposed Number Eight's identity, who would have truly believed it?" Chen Xuan asked in return.

"As for why I vanished, it was simply to avoid alerting the enemy."

"To be honest, I also know another person within the Chaos Void Jade. I am aware of the contents of your subsequent conversations."

"The location pointed to by that golden token is exactly where the Dragon Sovereign is hiding. Number Eight is using a god-rank magic treasure as bait to lead us into a trap."

Dongfang Li was instantly stunned.

With a wave of her hand, she took out the golden token, feeling as if it were a hot potato.

Chen Xuan's expression remained calm, his tone straightforward. "That's all I can tell you. If Miss Fang still doesn't believe me, you can verify everything once we leave this Secret Realm."

"I believe you..."

Dongfang Li smiled slightly, her expression relaxed. "Thank you for being honest with me, Peak Master Chen. Compared to the ethereal Number Eight, I naturally trust Peak Master Chen, my ally, more."

"If I truly harbored doubts, I wouldn't have formed an alliance to come to this Secret Realm."

Just as she finished speaking, Gu Yunshen, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped. His body stiffened slightly, and then he pointed his arm toward the distance.

"Look over there..."

Everyone looked in that direction, their hearts sinking in unison.

In the distance, the sky that was already gray suddenly darkened in an instant, as if a giant ink-colored curtain were slowly covering this glacial world.

Immediately following that!

A massive, pale gold object slowly emerged from the darkened sky. Everyone was all too familiar with that silhouette...

Almost the instant the immortal ship appeared, a deafening thunderclap exploded, making everyone's eardrums ring.

After the thunder subsided, everyone finally saw that beneath the Immortal Crossing Boat lay a boundless thunder pool!

Purple-gold lightning tumbled and entwined like coiled dragons. At times, it condensed into thick pillars of lightning, splashing electrical sparks everywhere; at other times, it turned into a dense net of lightning. Just a glance from afar was enough to make one's scalp tingle and send a chill through their entire body.