When it came to closeness and familiarity, no one could compare to Li…
“Reasonable.”
Yue Bai nodded, and the two quickly added each other as friends on their jade slips, deciding to discuss the matter later at a time and place of their choosing.
As for Sect Master Lin of Lingchao Sect, he cast a subtle glance at Li Changshuang.
Tsk.
For some reason, he found the man slightly irritating.
That was what Sect Master Lin thought.
Second place went to Wen Yujun. On the jade ship before arriving, both he and Weisheng Zhen had been briefed by Steward Wu on the reward collection process, and they had already planned in advance what they wanted to take. So he finished quickly.
Weisheng Zhen also entered the Treasure Pavilion soon after.
He had long decided what he wanted to take, but he never expected that upon entering, aside from the Bibo Cauldron fragment and an extremely rare refining material called Danhong that he had already planned for, he would spot something on the pavilion’s list that he had never even considered.
Kongling Xu.
Even though there was only a single drop, small amounts could accumulate into something substantial!
Weisheng Zhen didn’t hesitate and quickly made his selections.
The centennial Rising Talent Competition finally came to an end.
Later that evening, Weisheng Zhen and Li Changshuang were invited to the Lingjie Council Hall.
Xinghai Terrace was located at the crossroads of the five continents, and it was also the site where the Longhong Sword God had ascended. That was why Lingjie had chosen to build a floating complex of buildings in the void near Xinghai Terrace, where major meetings and confidential matters were conducted.
The complex covered roughly the area of three small training grounds, with the tallest building reaching about seven stories. It was surrounded by layers of protective barriers so many dense, countless defensive and offensive formations that any attacker would be driven to frustration just trying to break through.
Although Lingjie was situated in a highly visible location, precisely because the surrounding area was open, anyone attempting to make a move would also be easily spotted.
It had its pros and cons, one could say.
Only with a Lingjie-exclusive token could one pass through those barriers and inspections. Weisheng Zhen and Li Changshuang were the last to arrive, and by then the meeting hall was nearly full.
Though the hall only had about a dozen seats in total.
Aside from the leaders of the six major sects, everyone in their “Six Major Sects” group chat was also gathered here.
Weisheng Zhen of Lingchao Sect, Li Changshuang of Sword Sect, Xian Yuyi of Liusen Pavilion, Xingtan of Golden Lotus Temple, Jiang Yandao of Wanxiang Observatory, and Hua Fan of Baihua Tower.
Although it felt like the matter about to be discussed was far more serious than they had imagined, the six of them were used to joking around in the group chat every day. Weisheng Zhen had never seen them wear such solemn expressions before, and he found it amusing though he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he quietly took out his jade slip and snapped a close-up of each of them.
Later, he would use spiritual power to preserve the images onto paper and gift one to each of them.
Who wouldn’t call this a friendship that moved heaven and earth?
The two took their seats, and the meeting officially began.
“We previously discussed whether we should place such a heavy burden on your shoulders, but… given the current situation, even if you wished to refuse, it would likely be very difficult.”
Sect Master Lin spoke first, and then Pavilion Master Hua nodded. “Indeed.”
“I happened to be in the Northern Extreme Continent handling some matters at the time, which put me closer to Mount Kunlun. After receiving the jade talismans from Sect Master Xue informing me of Young Friend Li and Young Friend Weisheng, I decided to set out for Kunlun ahead of the others to scout the situation.”
The Kunlun Mountains have a protective mountain barrier. According to standard procedure, we should first send a letter to inform Kunlun, but we judged the situation to be urgent at the time, so while Lingjie was sending the letter, I had already arrived at Kunlun Mountain to investigate. But perhaps it was precisely because of this time gap that I was able to see those things.”
Master Hua hesitated for a moment before speaking: “Kunlun seems to have defected. When I went to Kunlun that day, the letter had not yet arrived, so I could clearly sense surging demonic energy spilling outward.”
“The memory stone serves as evidence. I didn’t enter at the time because I wanted to see what changes would occur at Kunlun Mountain after the letter arrived.”
“As can be seen from the memory stone’s imagery, after the letter arrived, that demonic energy gradually retracted, and the place returned to being the pure and spiritual Kunlun Mountain.”
After hearing these words, everyone present, except Hua Fan, showed no expression on their faces.
In the empty hall, a very loud sound of someone sharply inhaling cold air could be heard.
Hua Fan’s dramatic reaction was inevitable, after all, among everyone there, he was the only one who was truly hearing this for the first time. He swept his gaze over the people around him in shock, and only when he saw that the others had no reaction did he suddenly realize that the only one kept in the dark was himself.
How embarrassing. He would definitely scold this group of people harshly in the group chat later.
They hadn’t leaked even a single piece of information!
It wasn’t just Hua Fan who thought this; Master Hua, who had taught such a loud and excitable disciple, also felt quite embarrassed.
Fortunately, they both had good mental fortitude. Master Hua quickly adjusted and said: “The reason I’m telling you all this is because, based on our discussions and the divination that Beichen Observatory Master of Wanxiang Observatory reported to the heavens, we need you to come and assist.”
“Those five sealed locations may have already undergone some anomalies. Since the six of us have decided to go to Kunlun Mountain to investigate, the heavy responsibility of determining whether the five sealed locations are in trouble can only be entrusted to you.”
“In case they have already fallen to demonic cultivation, going directly could very likely result in being deceived or killed by them. So I hope you can conceal your purpose and investigate quietly.”
“I have a question.”
Not long after Master Hua finished speaking, Hua Fan shook his head and said: “Isn’t this decision a bit too rash? Among the six of us, the highest cultivation realm is only the late Lianxu stage, far inferior to our senior uncles in terms of cultivation level. Why would the Heavenly Dao instruct us to go investigate the sealed locations? Why not send those seniors with higher cultivation levels?”
Hua Fan’s concern was not without reason, but the next second, he heard Master Hua’s sigh.
“We also considered having other great cultivators step in to help stabilize the seals, but we truly don’t have enough manpower.”
He glanced at the reactions of the others, and seeing that they seemed to have no intention of stopping him, he continued: “The six of us patrol the Immortal Prison every three months, especially the Heaven-tier and Earth-tier prisoners, whom we must go confirm in person. The last inspectors were Beichen Observatory Master and myself, and this time it was the two Sect Masters, Xue and Lin.”
“But during this inspection, the two Sect Masters discovered that a Heaven-tier major criminal and three Earth-tier prisoners had somehow managed to escape from the Immortal Prison, which is layered with mechanisms, by some unknown means! And no one had even noticed!”
“We traced the gaps and deduced that they had already escaped right after the last inspection, so it’s been over two months now. But Beichen Temple Master could only trace their movements back to a month and a half ago, so we can only use that month and a half of their trail to deduce where they might be now.”
“Right now, those senior cultivators are at a critical moment in their pursuit and have no time to attend to the sealing grounds. After deliberation, we’ve decided to entrust this task to the six of you.”
“Your cultivation is still shallow, so you only need to determine whether anything has gone wrong at the sealing grounds. Once you detect any anomaly, immediately contact your respective sects, and someone will be dispatched to handle it once the message is received.”
Though it was somewhat sudden, after hearing Pavilion Master Hua’s words, all six of them understood the urgency of the situation.
The Immortal Prison held only the most heinous criminals humans or demons who, because they were difficult to slay, could only be sealed within its confines. Not only were the inner and outer layers guarded by layers of cultivators and barriers upon barriers of seals, but there were also numerous artifacts capable of monitoring spiritual energy, keeping constant watch over them.
Yet despite all this, the prisoners had still managed to escape without a trace. Without someone on the inside colluding with them, Weisheng Zhen refused to believe it was possible.
Those prisoners were all fallen demons who had once been arrogant beyond measure and wreaked havoc across the land. Rather than searching for an internal accomplice, capturing them first was the top priority leaving the four of them free would lead to unforeseeable consequences.
Weisheng Zhen hadn’t written about the prisoners’ escape, but he could guess most of the details just from speculation.
If there weren’t something special going on, Sect Master Lin and his master wouldn’t have suddenly cut off contact through the immortal jade slips.
Because there were five sealing grounds, Weisheng Zhen, whose cultivation was currently the lowest among those present, had to decide who to partner with.
If asked whom he’d choose, Weisheng Zhen would unhesitatingly point to Li Changshuang.
Though the plot had deviated and the character settings had changed, when it came to familiarity and closeness, the other four couldn’t compare to the male lead he had written.
So after everyone discussed which locations they’d head to, they left the meeting hall.
Since Weisheng Zhen and Li Changshuang were operating as a pair, and Li Changshuang was the strongest cultivator among the six, they were assigned to the more dangerous sealing ground at the border between the cultivation world and the demon realm.
But before setting out, the two of them still had some matters to attend to.
Yue Bai.
The two had agreed after the Rising Talents Tournament to meet early the day after the meeting in the assembly hall, with the location set at the Treasure Pavilion in Manyun City. When Weisheng Zhen and Li Changshuang arrived early the next day, they found Yue Bai already waiting for them.
“So why did you give up the reward and insist that I grant you a request instead? What request?”
When he’d first been put on the spot in front of everyone yesterday, Weisheng Zhen had been somewhat annoyed, but he quickly soothed himself, perhaps this person had heard of his deeds but didn’t know where to find him, which was why he’d done it this way.
Li Changshuang had no intention of butting into their conversation. He was only there as a precaution, to ensure Yue Bai didn’t spring any traps.
“Because this matter requires you only you can accomplish it.”
Yue Bai’s expression carried a hint of apology. Weisheng Zhen found it fascinating upon hearing this, what could possibly be something that no one else could do except him?
“You might not know me, but I’ve actually been a fan of yours for a long time.” Yue Bai smiled. “Ever since you first started writing Sword That Shatters the Heavens.”
Weisheng Zhen’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively glanced at Li Chang Shuang, then quickly realized that when it came to anything related to the modern world, the Heavenly Dao had its own methods of ensuring that anyone native to the cultivation world would have their memories automatically corrected to something else, even if they overheard such conversations.
“So you really are him. It wasn’t in vain that I went to all that trouble to enter the Rising Star Tournament, just to get a chance to speak with you.”
Weisheng Zhen: “…”
He’d been careless. So this was what it felt like to be tricked into revealing something.
“That’s also why I originally wanted to meet with you alone. But since we’ve brought your male lead along, it doesn’t matter the Heavenly Dao will automatically correct his memories of our conversation.” Yue Bai said.
The Heavenly Dao, the entity that had pulled Weisheng Zhen into the cultivation world, patched up the small bugs in this realm, governed all living beings within it, and could be called the supreme god was a formless, ethereal existence.
It generally didn’t interfere too much with the development of this world, but Weisheng Zhen had also discovered that the major plot points he had written were destined to happen no matter what.
Aside from that, the Heavenly Dao also served the function of preventing leaks. Weisheng Zhen hadn’t known about this before, until he’d tried telling others about modern things multiple times, and one time in the middle of the night, the Heavenly Dao had come knocking on his door.
After that, he’d been very careful to follow the rules.
Li Chang Shuang had indeed had his memories modified. After listening to both Weisheng Zhen and Yue Bai’s words, his face showed no extra expression. Though Weisheng Zhen didn’t know what the memories had been corrected into, he could be certain that his and Yue Bai’s identities wouldn’t be exposed.
“I see… So you came here forty years ago?”
“Ever since this body of mine gained consciousness, it’s been forty years. Though the time has been short, I think you probably already know that the cultivation world you’re currently in has some discrepancies from the plot in your novel.”
Weisheng Zhen’s expression remained calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was somewhat puzzled.
He’d only been here for forty years and a large portion of that time had likely been spent in the Unknown Continent. In such a short period, what exactly had he observed to conclude that some of this world’s plot wasn’t developing according to the novel?
Especially since the original plot of the novel hadn’t even progressed that far yet.
Moreover.
Weisheng Zhen discreetly sized up Yue Bai.
The way he was now speaking confidently and eloquently before him seemed somewhat at odds with the simple, easily-bullied image Weisheng Zhen had seen at the Earth Treasure Pavilion earlier.