“Guo Hua, you have performed a great service this time. After we return, I will immediately report to the Sect Leader to promote you to the position of Saint of our Beidou Sect.
From now on, you will receive key cultivation training from our Beidou Sect. At the very least, you will become one of the high-level members of our Beidou Sect in the future.”
While excitedly counting the items Guo Hua had brought out, their bodies trembling, one of the five elder leaders spoke.
“Thank you, esteemed elders, for your cultivation and support,” Guo Hua replied, showing an expression of excitement upon hearing the elder's words and quickly bowing respectfully to express his gratitude.
The other disciples of the Beidou Sect around them all showed expressions of envy. Once one became a Saint of the Beidou Sect, Guo Hua's status would skyrocket, making him the disciple with the highest rank.
“Very well, we shall return now.”
After a brief discussion, the five elders of the Beidou Sect decided to rush back to the Beidou Sect headquarters at the fastest possible speed. The treasures Guo Hua had brought out were simply too precious, and the five of them feared a lot could happen overnight if they lingered.
One of the elders took out an airship, had all members of the Beidou Sect board it, then soared into the sky, flying towards the direction of the Beidou Sect headquarters.
At this moment, apart from the Beidou Sect, members of many other forces also began to rise into the air, preparing to depart.
However, just at this moment.
“Everyone, our Guardian Faction has encountered a problem. For now, no one is permitted to leave. Only after we have completed our investigation may everyone depart.”
A voice rang out, reaching the ears of everyone present. Then, a grey-robed elder appeared in the high sky.
This elder was withered, thin, and short in stature, inconspicuous, but the pressure released by him standing there instantly enveloped this expanse of heaven and earth. Everyone felt an endless, immense energy pressure descending upon them.
All those who had already risen into the air were suppressed and fell back to the ground. One flight treasure after another slammed down onto the earth with loud bangs, raising clouds of dust. Many people tumbled into the dirt, disheveled.
Yet, no one dared to voice any complaints, because everyone knew that the grey-robed elder who had suddenly appeared in the high sky was a True God.
A Void God was incredibly weak in front of a True God. To dare show disrespect would likely mean instant death. Everyone remained in place, not daring to move.
Everyone understood that the higher-ups of the Guardian Faction were about to fly into a rage.
Several hundred young disciples of the Guardian Faction had entered the secret realm, yet only three had come out. Such a result was unacceptable to the Guardian Faction's leaders.
“I emphasize again: until our Guardian Faction has thoroughly investigated this matter, no one is permitted to leave. Otherwise, do not blame me for being impolite.”
The grey-robed elder in the high sky radiated a rolling pressure of energy that made the entire world tremble. His icy words sent chills down everyone's spines.
“Now, who will tell me what truly happened inside to our Guardian Faction disciples?
Whoever I ask must relay everything they know. Whoever dares conceal anything will face a soul search directly by me. Bear the consequences yourself.”
The grey-robed elder continued, his words cold and sinister.
“Soul search!”
Upon hearing the grey-robed elder's words, countless people paled, expressions of terror appearing on their faces.
A True God possessed the strength and means to perform a soul search on another, forcibly reading their memories and even peering into the privacy deep within their soul. However, most soul search secret arts brought severe consequences to those subjected to them.
The minor consequence was severe injury to the Soul Body. More severe cases could damage the very origin of the Soul Body, causing memory loss. The most severe could cause the Soul Body to be utterly obliterated, resulting in immediate, gruesome death.
Therefore, those in the Sixth Void knew that being subjected to a soul search was an extremely dangerous affair, the consequences inevitably being death or severe injury.
Now, hearing this grey-robed elder of the Guardian Faction threatening to perform soul searches on everyone, all present felt both fear and anger. But facing a True God, no one dared to show any dissatisfaction.
“You, tell me.”
Standing in the high sky, the grey-robed elder's piercing gaze swept over the crowd, his Soul Power perceiving every individual. Suddenly, he reached out with a beckoning hand. A young man on the ground found his body uncontrollably rising into the air, pulled by a terrifying, invisible force to float before the grey-robed elder.
“Now, tell me what exactly happened to our Guardian Faction disciples inside the Yangming Secret Realm.”
The grey-robed elder's cold, merciless gaze fixed on the young man.
“Spare me, honorable elder! I will speak, I will tell you everything right now!”
This young man was merely a Primary Level Void God. Facing a True God so suddenly, his face turned pale as paper, his body trembling uncontrollably. He couldn't even stand and simply went limp like a puddle of mud, panickedly begging for mercy.
“This is sheer bullying!”
The young man came from a clan of ordinary strength. Three elders from that clan had personally led their group here. Seeing their clan's young descendant being treated so by the grey-robed elder, the three elders were filled with rage. But on the surface, they dared not show any displeasure. They understood that their clan's power was simply too weak compared to the Guardian Faction. If they offended the Guardian Faction, the entire clan might face calamity.
“Answer my questions if you don't want to die. I don't want to hear a single superfluous word,” the grey-robed elder spoke with cold indifference, his voice icy to the extreme, as if a celestial dragon from the high heavens was looking down upon an ant on the ground.
Feeling the dense killing intent from the grey-robed elder, the young man was scared out of his wits. But a strong instinct for survival forced him to calm down. Then, he recounted all the information he had heard inside the Yangming Secret Realm regarding the Guardian Faction disciples, truthfully recounting every detail.
“Honorable elder, this is all I know regarding your Guardian Faction disciples. I swear, every word I spoke is true.”
After speaking, the young man added in a trembling voice.
The young man was terrified to the extreme, but he understood that the three elders from his clan would likely not step forward to save him. To survive, he had to rely on himself. Therefore, he forced himself to speak.
The grey-robed elder remained silent. With his perceptive abilities, he could naturally tell that the young man was indeed telling the truth.
“Our Guardian Faction disciples placed a bounty to hunt down a young man of unknown origin. That man of unknown origin obtained the Three-Legged Golden Crow's Inner Elixir, and also achieved first place in the test left behind by King Yangming. Who is he exactly?” the grey-robed elder pondered aloud.
“Elder Chu, I have already made inquiries. In our Sixth Void, there seems to have been no such figure before. I suspect that young man might have been trained by some old monster who has been secluding themselves for ages,” a middle-aged man from the Guardian Faction beside him said.
“Then, do you think the misfortune that befell our Guardian Faction disciples is related to this mysterious young man?” The grey-robed elder's cold, merciless gaze suddenly turned back to the young man.
“Honorable elder, according to the news I received earlier, the forces from the Guardian Faction, Tianhai Sect, Heixuan Sect, and Sifang Tower jointly pursued that young man of unknown origin and the Lu Family's Lu Shi into an abandoned city. Then, they all perished inside. Not a single one emerged.
Initially, everyone thought it must have been the doing of that unknown young man. But later, as the Yangming Secret Realm's opening period was about to end, your Guardian Faction's Jiang Qiang suddenly appeared and reported the cause of the incident to Ma Meng.
According to Jiang Qiang's account, that abandoned city was a highly dangerous place, containing many Formations from ancient times and hundreds of Deity-level puppets. Everyone who entered that abandoned city was killed by those ancient Formations and puppets within,” the young man answered, trembling.
“Then what of Ma Meng and Jiang Qiang? Why have neither of them come out?” the grey-robed elder asked coldly.
“Honorable elder, I don't know. Before I came out, I did see Ma Meng and Jiang Qiang. They were near the entrance/exit of the Yangming Secret Realm. Many people heard their conversation. Honorable elder, you can ask others to confirm that what I said is not false.”
The young man hurriedly responded.
“You, speak.”
The grey-robed elder remained silent for a moment, then beckoned again, grabbing another young man. However, this one said pretty much the same thing.
“This old fellow's perceptive abilities are frighteningly powerful. If he summons you for questioning, you must be careful. I wonder if your Invisibility Talisman can deceive him,” Hun Lao transmitted to Ye Yunfei upon seeing the grey-robed elder summoning young men one after another for interrogation, feeling a bit worried.
“Indeed, this old guy's perception is terrifying. If he singles me out, I'm not sure I can hide from his senses. We need to be prepared. At the first opportunity, I must leave this place immediately,” Ye Yunfei replied.
In the following time, the grey-robed elder forcibly questioned several dozen young people. However, the answers he received were mostly identical.
In fact, Ma Meng had previously used the same method to question quite a few people inside the Yangming Secret Realm. Now, this grey-robed elder from the Guardian Faction employed this same method. After interrogating several dozen young people, the grey-robed elder and a few other Guardian Faction leaders were almost certain that these people were telling the truth.
“Regardless, the primary culprit for what happened to our Watchers is that mysterious young man and the Lu Family's Lu Shi,” the grey-robed elder said with a darkened face.
“Elder Chu, according to the news, the Lu Family's Lu Shi has already been killed,” a middle-aged man beside him said quietly.
“Even if Lu Shi is dead, his debt cannot be left unsettled like this. Even if the monk escapes, the temple remains. Since Lu Family disciples dared to harm members of our Guardian Faction, we shall settle this score with the Lu Family.
Immediately apprehend all members of the Lu Family! Then, even if we have to turn the earth over three feet, we must find that mysterious young man!” the grey-robed elder said through gritted teeth.
Following the grey-robed elder's order, a large group of Guardian Faction members immediately surged out, surrounding the Lu Family's forces.
“This is utterly bullying too far! Not only did the Guardian Faction kill Lu Shi, now they want to settle scores with our Lu Family. They are trampling right over our Lu Family’s head!”
Seeing this scene, several of the Lu Family’s leaders were incensed with rage. They stepped forward one by one, blocking the way before the Lu Family youths.
“Do the members of the Lu Family wish to provoke our Guardian Faction? Cooperate obediently, and perhaps you can return alive. Otherwise, do not blame me for being impolite!”
The grey-robed elder's face darkened as he spoke coldly.
Then, a terrifying pressure of energy, like colossal waves, came rolling and pressing towards the Lu Family forces.
The leading Lu Family elders were all at the Perfected Void God level. Sensing the energy pressure released by the grey-robed elder, their faces instantly paled. Not daring to delay, they immediately released their own energy to resist.
With a rumble, a three-story pagoda materialized before one of the Lu Family elders. This three-story pagoda glowed with rolling divine light, continuously expanding, blocking the path before the Lu Family group.
“This is a True God-level battle artifact!”
Seeing this three-story pagoda, the hearts of the onlookers stirred.