471: Chapter 471 Rumors

After a round of hearty drinking!

Chen Xuan let Li Pingan and Qi Yue stay at the Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect to rest, while he departed silently.

Since there was no fight to be had, it was time to get down to business.

With a flash of his figure, the two of them reached an altitude of ten thousand meters.

With a thought from Chen Xuan, four fragments of the hunxu jade radiating ink-colored light flew out from his storage ring.

"Combine."

With a low shout from Chen Xuan, the four fragments slowly drew closer in the air, then erupted with a burst of blinding light.

"Buzz—"

The four fragments fused together perfectly, transforming into a palm-sized, complete jade disc that appeared entirely Chaos-colored. At the moment the jade disc fused, a profound fluctuation instantly enveloped Chen Xuan's mind.

Chen Xuan's eyes closed slightly as his Divine Sense extended along that mysterious guiding force.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze like lightning, piercing through layers of clouds and casting toward the direction of the Central Region.

"So it's there..."

That final fragment of the hunxu jade was actually inside that Sea of Dead Silence.

Chen Xuan's figure flickered as he turned into a streak of light, galloping straight toward the west. The sea surface, shrouded in white mist, was calm and without waves. Chen Xuan hovered above the sea, his Divine Sense spreading out like ripples, instantly covering a radius of ten thousand miles.

His gaze narrowed slightly, locking onto a faint Aura deep beneath the ocean floor.

Just as Chen Xuan was preparing to dive, a strange ripple suddenly rose beneath the sea surface.

"Pop—"

A giant jellyfish, entirely transparent and spanning a full hundred zhang in diameter, slowly emerged from the abyss. The tentacles beneath its bell pulsed rhythmically in the seawater like countless ghostly ribbons.

He hadn't expected his luck to be so good, to actually encounter this Xuanyin Jellyfish foraging.

At the Deity Transformation Realm, it could indeed dominate a region in this world and do as it pleased.

Upholding the fine tradition of 'since I'm already here,' Chen Xuan reached out and instantly suppressed and killed it, planning to take it back to show Shu Shichan to see if it was of any use.

Having dealt with this obstacle, Chen Xuan's figure flickered as he broke through the sea surface and dove toward the depths of the ocean floor.

When he dove to a depth of three thousand meters, a sudden change occurred.

The originally grey seawater suddenly became turbid, and a scalp-numbing fishy wind surged from all directions.

"Splash—"

Countless black dorsal fins broke through the water like black blades, instantly surrounding Chen Xuan.

A Bone-Corroding Shark Swarm!

"Noisy."

Chen Xuan's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

Terrifying spiritual energy erupted instantly, forming a visible shockwave in the seawater.

Those aggressive Bone-Corroding Shark Swarms, the moment they touched the shockwave, were like hitting an invisible Wall of Sighs.

"Bang bang bang—"

Amidst a series of muffled explosions, the hundreds of Bone-Corroding Sharks charging at the front instantly exploded into clouds of blood mist. The entire process was without difficulty, and he easily found that fragment of the hunxu jade deep within a crevice.

...

Three days later.

The news of the battle between the three Heavenly Venerables of Heavenly Tribulation Continent spread rapidly across the entire Nine Provinces Continent as if it had grown wings.

Simultaneously spreading was the tragic current state of various major forces in the guixu immortal ferry boat Secret Realm. The Ten Thousand Formations Sect, Qingxiao Sword Sect, Penglai Island, Red Immortal Pavilion... these top-tier forces that were usually high and mighty were all severely shaken and their Origin Qi greatly damaged. Countless Genius Disciples had fallen, and there was a gap in the generation of Elders.

Amidst this wailing, the reputation of Great Love Immortal Venerable also showed an extremely strange polarization.

Nine Provinces Continent, a certain market tavern.

"Have you heard? They say this Secret Realm trip was entirely a trap set by Great Love Immortal Venerable in collusion with the Yao Race!"

A Cultivator with a full beard lowered his voice: "Tiangong Pavilion and the Medicine Hut joined forces to go and hold him accountable for this."

"That's absolutely impossible! The losses of the Wansheng Dao Court are no less than those of the other forces; even that Fifth Elder has fallen. Could Great Love Immortal Venerable really sell out his own trusted aides?"

"Exactly, what kind of person is Great Love Immortal Venerable?"

An old man at another table stroked his beard and sighed, "Five hundred years ago, he entered the heart of the Yao Race territory alone and took the head of that Yao Venerable as easily as reaching into a bag for an object. How could such a heroic figure collude with the Yao Race?"

"But no matter what, many Sects only entered the Secret Realm because Great Love Immortal Venerable told them about the guixu immortal ferry boat. Now that the losses are so heavy, someone has to take the blame."

"Right, I heard from a Cultivator of Penglai Island..."

A middle-aged man in scholar's robes nearby immediately whispered: "That Dao Seeking Sect went on a killing and looting spree in the Secret Realm, and even committed acts of slaughtering entire cities."

"Do you think the Dao Seeking Sect might be the spies who defected to the Yao Race?"

Someone slapped the table in sudden realization: "No wonder, no wonder! It must be so. Otherwise, how could there be so many Yao Race targeting the Human Race in that Secret Realm? It must be that the Dao Seeking Sect betrayed the Human Race's movements to please the Yao Race."

"Makes sense. Ever since this Dao Seeking Sect's sudden rise, I felt something was off. All that 'one person saving a province' talk—I reckon it was all a trap being set from the start."

Rumors and gossip spread across the Nine Provinces Continent like a plague.

Wansheng Dao Court, Sect Master's Great Hall.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was oppressive.

Great Love Immortal Venerable sat on the Sect Master's throne, his eyes slightly closed, breathing softly as if calming some emotion within.

A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon Li Xuantong, who was bowing below.

"How are things going?"

Li Xuantong answered respectfully, a hint of a fawning smile on his face: "Reporting to the Sect Master, people have already begun to spread the news. Now many Cultivators believe that the Dao Seeking Sect is the one in collusion with the Yao Race."

"The Sect Master truly has unique foresight; I didn't expect those arrangements in the Secret Realm that day would have such a wonderful use."

Great Love Immortal Venerable nodded slightly, raised his hand, and said calmly: "Go to the Red Immortal Pavilion; let them add fuel to the fire. After all, a woman's mouth has always been the most potent. Only then can this news achieve its maximum effect."

"Yes, Sect Master!"

Li Xuantong took his leave and hurried away.

Within the hall, a dead silence returned.

Just after Li Xuantong left, a purple silhouette slowly emerged from the shadows on the left.

Purple Sandalwood moved with light steps to the side of Great Love Immortal Venerable and smiled softly: "Although your reputation and stance cannot be completely preserved, having the Dao Seeking Sect take the blame is enough to muddy the waters a bit. Those Sects and forces that suffered losses without recourse always need an object to vent their frustrations on."

"And it just so happens that this Dao Seeking Sect is easy to handle."

Great Love Immortal Venerable glanced at her but did not speak.

Purple Sandalwood ignored this and continued to herself: "By the way, how are Heavenly Venerable Mogong and the Medicine Venerable doing now? I heard that although the two of them were not lightly injured, they ultimately managed to escape successfully."

"It's a pity, considering my master even persuaded the Monkey Venerable to deign to lie in ambush in the Outer Heavens."