204: Chapter 204 Shuofang Ding

Nanzhao Kingdom, in a stone pavilion atop an unnamed peak.

The stone pavilion was ancient, hanging alone on the precipitous peak.

In the distance was a massive chasm that tore through heaven and earth—the Southeast Main Rift of the Cangwu region.

Inside the pavilion, two people sat on either side of a stone table.

In the main seat sat a middle-aged man. He wore a dark purple brocade robe embroidered with eerie vine patterns. His face was chiseled like it had been carved by a knife, but at this moment, suppressed anger was gathering between his brows.

A pair of eyes, sharp as a falcon's, were staring fixedly at the man in the moss-green robe opposite him.

Facing the fury, the man in the moss-green robe unhurriedly picked up the spiritual tea on the stone table before him and took a gentle sip.

After a maidservant served the spiritual tea to the two, she immediately bowed and withdrew from the stone pavilion, standing guard far away on the perimeter, blocking all prying eyes.

"Zhu Wutong!"

Gongsun Gai was the first to break the oppressive silence.

"Last time, you sent Mo Tong to infiltrate my Cangwu territory across provinces to collect that Erosion Source Blood Tree—what was your intention? Do you not know that this Cangwu region is my, Gongsun Gai's, territory?!"

Zhu Wutong set down his teacup, the bottom of the cup making a slight clicking sound against the stone table. He raised his eyes, his sinister gaze meeting Gongsun Gai's fury, his tone devoid of waves:

"That was a direct order from the Alliance Leader; what does it have to do with me? Mo Tong executed the Alliance Leader's decree and acted in secret; why would there be any need to report to you?"

"The Alliance Leader's order?"

Gongsun Gai's face turned ashen instantly. A sense of humiliation from being slighted and doubted surged into his heart.

Does the Alliance Leader trust me, Gongsun Gai, so little? He even had to bypass me and let people from the Fusang region intervene just to take a tree in the Cangwu region?!

His heart felt faintly cold; his status in the Alliance Leader's heart was likely far less secure than it appeared on the surface.

The corner of Zhu Wutong's mouth curled into a sneer, and he changed the subject:

"Regarding the previous matter in the Yue State, the Di Family contributed quite a lot. Without their internal and external coordination to borrow the Erosion Rain to flood the sixth-rank Yue State, your Erosion Source Blood Tree would hardly have matured so quickly under the nourishment of the Ten Thousand Spirit Blood Sacrifice."

Mentioning the destruction of the Yue State, Gongsun Gai's anger subsided slightly, but the fierce look in his eyes intensified:

"What are you trying to say?"

"The Erosion Source Blood Tree in the Qing State failed; the Cangwu region still needs an Erosion Source Blood Tree."

"You mean you still want the Di Family to help?"

Zhu Wutong nodded.

"Hmph, the Di Family has obtained news of the shuofang tripod, so they basically ignore us now."

"Is that so... the shuofang tripod..."

Zhu Wutong's fingertips slowly traced the edge of the stone table.

"The Nine Tripods of the Nine Provinces suppress the earth veins and lock the Ancient Banyan."

"Since we have already determined it is in that Secret Realm space, why don't we just take it directly?"

Gongsun Gai was puzzled, his tone impatient.

"Getting the shuofang tripod means one less shackle on the Ancient Banyan."

"Take it?"

Zhu Wutong glanced at him sideways.

"Palace Master Gongsun, tell me, where is that space located?"

Gongsun Gai choked. This was his impatience clouding his judgment.

Zhu Wutong continued, his voice cold:

"During the Great War between the two worlds in ancient times, the Shuofang region completely fell, and the whereabouts of the shuofang tripod became unknown. Five years after the fall, Di Fuling of the Wanxian Dynasty encountered a siege by three Mahayana Demon Ancestors somewhere in the southeast. Gravely wounded and dying, she seemed to have escaped into a mysterious space many times."

"Combining the intelligence from that battle with the extremely faint Heaven Wind power currently covering the Chiyun Kingdom, the shuofang tripod is likely in the hands of that Di Family Old Ancestor."

He paused, his gaze cast toward the churning Main Rift in the distance:

"As for that space, it was originally separated from the Three Provinces Realm. The reason the Heaven Wind power has appeared again now is likely precisely because of the existence of this Southeast Main Rift. The powerful spatial disturbance accidentally allowed it to briefly reconnect with the Three Provinces Realm."

Gongsun Gai frowned:

"So you want the Di Family to use their Bloodline sensing secret technique to cross the Void Realm and lock onto their Old Ancestor's final hiding place!"

"The Heaven Wind power of the shuofang tripod can last so long... does that mean..."

"You thought correctly!"

A glint flashed in Zhu Wutong's eyes.

"The Nine Tripods of the Nine Provinces all require the support of massive earth vein power to operate! That Secret Realm space is still able to maintain the operation of the shuofang tripod now, and was even able to release Heaven Wind power before... it means that there must have been a true earth vein inside it!"

"Earth vein?" Gongsun Gai's pupils constricted. "You mean... a true earth vein Foundation that is close to the World Origin and far exceeds ordinary Spiritual Veins?"

"Exactly!"

Zhu Wutong affirmed, "Otherwise, how could it support the operation of the Heaven Wind power by the shuofang tripod? Unfortunately..."

His tone turned cold, carrying a hint of regret, "The recent Heaven Wind power has become negligible, almost severed. This is enough to show that the power of that earth vein is likely nearing exhaustion! It won't last much longer."

Gongsun Gai's expression was grave:

"Even so, the anomaly of the Heaven Wind power cannot be hidden for long. Wan Shou Mountain and the Wutong Divine Dynasty..."

"Hmph!"

Zhu Wutong let out a cold snort, interrupting him.

"The Northwest Main Rift is frequently experiencing anomalies; those two have their hands full and wouldn't dare leave easily. For a short time, it doesn't matter if they notice the changes here!"

His tone was decisive. "As for that emerging Moonshadow Sect... I intend to go meet them. The feud over Mo Tong... must be settled!"

"Then what about us right now..." Gongsun Gai looked at Zhu Wutong.

"Wait."

Zhu Wutong spat out one word, his gaze falling on the vast Nanzhao Kingdom below.

"I have already quietly planted a mark on that old man of the Di Family. This is the place where Di Hongshen last disappeared; a spatial node has initially formed here, but we just cannot lock onto the coordinates of the Secret Realm itself."

A fierce light flashed in his eyes:

"As long as the people of the Di Family return to the Three Provinces Realm from that space with the shuofang tripod or the remains of their Old Ancestor... they will inevitably pass through this spatial node! At that time..."

"We want the shuofang tripod! We want the remaining Earth Vein Origin and everything else in that Secret Realm!"

Night deepened in the small courtyard.

Ling Hao and his four Disciples were sitting around the stone table.

"The Senior Sister and Junior Sister, they... still no news?"

Lu Changning looked up, gazing worriedly at the night sky.

Ling Hao's brows were slightly furrowed.

A few days ago, Disciples from Chunxi Peak in the Chiyun Kingdom sent a message saying that Elder Fu Qu and Senior Sister Yingying went to a cliff, saying they were looking for some Treasure Trove.

Ling Hao and Qin Zhaoxue and the others just smiled and let them go.

But as a few more days passed, the Chunxi Peak Disciples sent word that Elder Fu Qu and the others had gone missing!

This gave Ling Hao a shock.

Just now, Ling Hao had tried to contact Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying through the Divine Soul connection between master and Disciple, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, leaving only a blur of Chaos.

He tried activating the sound transmission Talisman, but there was no response; he called out using the resonance dao tower as a medium, but there was also no news.

An ominous premonition enveloped his heart.

Just at this moment, urgent footsteps came from outside the courtyard. Chunxi Peak Disciples Zhao Hongyi and Ye Qinglan hurried in, their faces showing anxiety.

"Sect Master! Elders!" Zhao Hongyi saluted and then said urgently, "We have already discovered the location where Elder Chi and Senior Sister Xia last sent us a message; it is an unnamed cliff on the southeast border of the Nanzhao Kingdom!"

"Elder Fu Qu previously told us she was going to investigate the 'call' that Senior Sister Xia sensed, and told us to wait. If they did not return after seven days, we should first go to Nanzhao City to wait for the Sect Master!"

"Now seven days have long passed, and they... they..."

Ye Qinglan added: "We have searched carefully near that cliff, but there is not a single trace!"

Everyone's expression changed.

Ling Hao's gaze was deep, the unease in his heart growing heavier. He flipped his palm, and a golden Talisman flowing with mysterious spatial runes appeared in his palm. This was a Heaven Rank teleportation Talisman exchanged from the Sect Master's points mall, which could lock onto a Disciple's aura for precise teleportation.

Ling Hao looked at the light flowing on the Talisman and muttered to himself.

"It's been a long time since I used this thing..."

Ling Hao poured spiritual power into his fingertips, the silver patterns flared, wrapping around his whole body. The space hummed and trembled.

"Little Xue, you all wait for me here."

With a flash of silver light, Ling Hao's figure, along with the Talisman, vanished instantly, leaving only spatial ripples.