Chapter 171: Chapter 140: Thorough Investigation of Chen Xiao, Clouded Leopard Inner Core

"We all know that when you enter the Immortal Palace, you’re transported into a small hut."

"In that case, it’s very likely Chen Xiao was transported somewhere else."

The other Daoists immediately agreed with his speculation.

"That’s right. Whether it’s the content of the trials or the rule against infighting, everything in the Immortal Palace shows that the Lord of the Immortal Palace is extremely meticulous."

"My fellow Daoist makes a good point. Of the several Secret Realms I’ve experienced, the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace is indeed the most peaceful."

"By that logic, since they thought to use water vapor to hide everyone’s faces, they likely also provided different exits."

After some discussion.

The Golden Core True Men present reached a consensus. They would thoroughly investigate the Jingkong Sea, the nearby Ten Thousand Immortals Island, the Black Rock Sea, and other regions.

They were searching for a Cultivator named Chen Xiao who possessed a Wood Spirit Root.

The search would focus especially on those with a Wood Element Celestial Spirit Root or a Dual Spirit Root that included Wood.

After all, judging by the fact that he placed first in the first three trials, he was bound to be a person of extraordinary talent.

Chu Haoxi also deduced from Chu Yuebin’s description that this Chen Xiao was at least an eighth-level Foundation Establishment Cultivator and possessed a Top Grade Magical Artifact focused on offense.

Otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to pass the first trial so quickly.

Afterward, as news spread that Chen Xiao had obtained the Ninth True Technique, the search for him quickly expanded to more distant regions.

Unfortunately, no matter how much they investigated, they never found any trace of Chen Xiao.

. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

「Southern Domain, deep within a volcanic cluster.」

Xiao Chen took a step forward and returned to the inside of the volcano’s crater.

Lin Ping’an hadn’t come out yet, so for the moment, he was the only one there.

’Interesting. You return to where you came from. Even though we used the same exit, we returned to different entrances.’

Xiao Chen turned to look at the entrance to the Secret Realm, which rippled like the surface of water.

’This must involve spatial transportation. I wonder when I’ll be able to master such power.’

After waiting outside for nearly twelve hours, Lin Ping’an finally emerged just before the deadline.

The Immortal Palace Secret Realm closed completely about ten breaths after he came out.

Lin Ping’an let out a breath of relief. "Phew, I didn’t want to leave, so I stayed to look around a little longer. Luckily, I made it just in time. Sorry to keep you waiting, Senior Brother."

Xiao Chen didn’t mind waiting a little longer. "It’s fine."

The earlier announcement had said the Immortal Palace would close in twelve hours; he had been the one to leave early of his own accord.

After all, he had already gained the greatest benefits and had no need to be greedy for that last bit of time.

The two then returned to the Li Huo Sect together.

When the Azure Flame Sect’s Dark Hall disciple in charge of monitoring Xiao Chen’s movements saw him return, he hurriedly sent the latest intelligence back.

However, the disciple on duty at the Dark Hall was in a difficult position.

Elder Lu hadn’t made a public appearance in over half a month.

If it had been anyone else, being uncontactable for no reason would have been considered a sign that something had happened to them.

But Lu Wuqiang was a Dark Hall Elder, and many of the Dark Hall’s missions were inherently highly classified.

The disciple on duty couldn’t decide whether he should report this anomaly to the Sect Leader.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally went to quietly report to the Azure Flame Sect’s Sect Leader, Cheng Qihong.

But Cheng Qihong was completely unconcerned. "Old Lu probably just has something he’s busy with. With his skills, no accident could befall him."

Others might not know, but he was well aware that Lu Wuqiang carried many top-grade Tier Two Talismans.

Even if he encountered a malicious Demonic Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he had more than enough power to protect himself.

Unless there were three or more Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Cultivators, no one in Li State could possibly stop him.

Cheng Qihong never imagined that Lu Wuqiang would try to assassinate Xiao Chen, let alone be killed by someone of a lower cultivation level.

「Cuiwei Valley.」

Xiao Chen skillfully broke the restriction on the Storage Bag in his hand.

’Huh? Wait, why is he so poor?’

He swept his Divine Sense over the Storage Bag and found a paltry three hundred fifty-one Spirit Stones inside.

The Elixirs were also pitifully few: just one bottle of Spring Pills, two bottles of Fasting Pills, and one bottle of Rejuvenation Pills for healing.

As for miscellaneous items like Spirit Grass or Spirit Ore, there were none at all.

Inside the large Storage Bag, there was only a set of talisman-making tools, five rather thick books, and two storage boxes.

To put it nicely, it was clean and tidy. To put it bluntly, he was dirt poor.

’Then again, he probably used up all his Talismans.’

That Top Grade Magic Robe had held him off for quite a while, so Lu Wuqiang had naturally used everything he had.

This was actually the norm in the cultivation world.

In contrast, it was Xiao Chen’s usual habit of ending fights quickly—often before his opponents could react—that was the rarer phenomenon.

He picked up the books to take a look. Unfortunately, they contained two Earth Level Magic techniques and three cookbooks.

’Wait a second, this cookbook looks really familiar.’

Xiao Chen picked up the middle cookbook, feeling as if he had seen it somewhere before.

He thought back carefully and suddenly remembered: this was the Dark Scripture he had seen last time.

’Excellent. I’ve finally caught you.’

Xiao Chen took the other Dark Scripture from his Storage Bag. When he compared them, they were indeed identical.

’So that’s why I was being targeted by my own sect members for no reason. It was the Azure Flame Sect pulling the strings all along.’

The previous two assassination attempts against him had both led to dead ends because the assailants used poison to silence themselves beforehand.

This time, he had finally caught the true culprit.

Although he didn’t know why the Azure Flame Sect was targeting him, since they had already made moves against him more than once, the reason no longer mattered.