The appearance of the Fengdu Emperor and his alliance with the Netherworld Alliance loosened the tight-lipped stance of the upper echelons on news of the Supreme Taoist. Various rumors have been spreading continuously over these three months.
Since there was no official validation, many harbored doubts about the news of the Supreme Taoist and were clueless about his real identity.
However, those who had previously made contact with Shen Yuan fully believed this claim and quickly pinpointed Shen Yuan with the existence of Xue Mingzhi.
During the flooding disaster at Lake Dongting, Shen Yuan beheaded the River Ji Prince at the lake to calm the waters. The Qing Province Governor, Liao Yuan, though he had never directly encountered Shen Yuan, was an eyewitness to the flood and could infer some of the causes and effects from various sources.
