"Swoosh swoosh…"
Figures began to emerge from the Southern Zone gate. Leading the way were Chief Xi of the Transformation Division and Chief Yu Zhiwen of the Path Division. The Heavenly Ancestor members stationed at the Four Symbols Secret Realm had mostly been withdrawn, except for Ao Sheng, who remained with a small team to guard the area.
The operation by the Heavenly Group had ended in failure! To the Ninth Heavenly Ancestor members, this was another significant defeat for Hallmaster Dao. Despite deploying numerous people, including demi-saints and even Holy Emperors, to capture Xu Xiaoshou, their efforts were in vain. Xu Xiaoshou had grown in power, easily evading their net.
This was not something to be publicly lamented, however. Hallmaster Dao was still struggling with his mission.
In the past, many had blindly believed in Dao Qiongcang, often called the 'Dao Braggers.' After recent defeats at Abyss Island and the Four Symbols Secret Realm, their voices had quieted. Despite his setbacks, as long as the Council of Ten did not dismiss Hallmaster Dao, his orders were to be obeyed by the Heavenly Group members, even demi-saints.
Xi, having received the order, quickly assembled a large team from the Qilin world and rushed back to Jade Capital City. He was neither a fan nor an opponent of Hallmaster Dao; he simply did his job.
"Hallmaster Dao!"
Upon leaving the city, the group saw Hallmaster Dao's solemn figure and bowed in unison. Xi had appeared promptly, having used Ghost Spirit Transposition to arrive beside Hallmaster Dao.
"Xi, greetings to Hallmaster Dao."
Xi's eyes briefly widened as he saw Hallmaster Dao placing a thick cover into his spatial ring. He quickly dismissed the thought. Was he bewitched? Why were his thoughts so impure?
"Why have you summoned me?" Xi asked, eager to return to serious matters.
"Hallmaster Dao." Yu Zhiwen joined in the formalities.
Dao Qiongcang surveyed the area and instructed, "Everyone, return to the city wall."
With a flurry of movements, the figures obeyed the command. Dao Qiongcang then addressed Yu Zhiwen, "Step aside for now."
Yu Zhiwen, startled by the unusual command, retreated in confusion.
Xi, now realizing the gravity of the situation, was left alone with Hallmaster Dao.
"Come closer."
"Yes."
"Closer."
Xi hesitated. Getting any closer would have them almost physically connected. In broad daylight, this could affect his reputation.
Reluctantly, he took a step forward, nearly leaning into Hallmaster Dao.
"There's something I want you to see," Dao Qiongcang said, rummaging through his ring and pulling out a black item.
Xi stared in shock. What was Hallmaster Dao doing with half of a black tulle stocking?
"Dao…" Xi started, bewildered.
"Do you know what this is?" Dao Qiongcang asked solemnly.
Xi's worldview was shaken. "Am I supposed to?"
He felt as if his understanding of the world had been upended. Could Hallmaster Dao have taken the wrong medicine?
Seeing the serious expression on Hallmaster Dao's face, Xi realized this was a Saint-level mission.
Phew…
Calming himself, Xi focused. "I understand. I'll investigate who the owner is."
"Good."
Dao Qiongcang nodded and then took out a pair of pink underwear. "Check this one as well."
Xi was shocked. What was happening? This was men's underwear with a pale pink bunny pattern. Had Hallmaster Dao lost his mind?
"… Also check its owner?" Xi asked, trying to maintain his composure. The imagery was overwhelming.
"Yes."
After receiving confirmation, Xi felt despair. His earlier suspicion about the thick cover he had glimpsed seemed to have been true.
"Anything else?" Xi asked.
"No more."
Dao Qiongcang shook his head, keeping the items to analyze the aura of the ancestor's power.
Xi felt like his world had turned upside down. He was now certain he had become a character in some bizarre play.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed the beautiful figure standing at the entrance of the Southern Zone gate, her face reflecting suspicion. Xi realized why she needed to stay out of sight. This was not something that could be exposed, especially by a Saint!
"I'll give you half a day to find out who the owner is," Dao Qiongcang said firmly. "Have your men spread out. Make sure to cover every area outside the great array to find the person. He must be nearby."
Xi was stunned.
When Hallmaster Dao threw the image recording bead over and asked him to take a look, he realized…
There was even an image recording bead?
"Leave now."
Dao Qiongcang waved the young man away.
Of course, he knew how it must have seemed when he took out those two private items. From Xi's reaction, he must have gotten the wrong idea.
However, Dao Qiongcang was too lazy to explain. Everything was in the image recording bead.
If it were someone else, it might have been difficult for him to talk about it, but he never cared about these details.
Instead, he could summarize the general temperament of the thief from the three rather interesting private items.
"A little mischievous…"
"Very good. It's much easier to deal with if there's a small problem."
Dao Qiongcang had temporarily lost sight of his goal.
He had seen someone with breath-holding skills only inferior to Xu Xiaoshou's, who was extremely cautious.
Some of his arrangements hadn't worked for a while.
However, that was not important. The show had just begun.
"Yu Zhiwen."
"Here!"
Yu Zhiwen responded, popping her head out like a fish from the water. She quickly flashed to his side, but unfortunately, she didn't hear anything.
"You can study this thing," Dao Qiongcang said, flipping his palm to reveal a crude arm pieced together from ancient gun barrels.
This arm had caused quite a mess. It had exploded in his spatial ring, forced out the shattering array wheel, and used a special Divine Secret to break the binding array. The thief had managed to escape under Dao Qiongcang's nose by using these items.
Dao Qiongcang had cracked the self-detonation program halfway through and obtained the half-crippled Divine Secret Arm. It was a blessing in disguise.
Yu Zhiwen stared at the arm, her eyes widening as she examined the shattered divine path patterns on it.
At first, she was intrigued, but as she activated her Pearl Gem Star Eyes, she saw its mysterious nature. Despite most of the path patterns being destroyed, it was difficult to restore its form.
Dao Qiongcang remained calm, waiting for Yu Zhiwen's assessment.
Finally, Yu Zhiwen's eyes filled with shock. "Divine Puppet?"
Dao Qiongcang's face stiffened. "Am I asking you a question, or are you asking me a question?"
Yu Zhiwen shrank back in fear.
"It is indeed a Divine Puppet."
"However, this divine path pattern did not come from the Path Division. It seems… it wasn't created by you, Hallmaster Dao."
"So?" Dao Qiongcang asked, his eyebrows twitching. Xiaoyu had made great progress but was still lacking.
Yu Zhiwen hesitated. "There are others who have developed Divine Puppets?"
Dao Qiongcang's face grew even more stern.
Yu Zhiwen immediately took half a step back, her face pale. "Don't scare me…"
"You're already a Path Division Chief." Dao Qiongcang sighed. "Even if it's a bit fast for you, the pace of the times has accelerated. You need to grow quickly or be left behind."
Yu Zhiwen sniffed and then affirmed, "This is a Divine Puppet."
"Continue."
"No one else on the continent can develop such a Divine Puppet, even if it's just a replica… not even Patriarch Wuji."
"Continue."
"It's possible that he broke through."
"Then…" Dao Qiongcang paused, his eyelids twitching. "Are you stuck? Should I give you a nudge along?"
Yu Zhiwen puffed out her cheeks, trying to piece together the information.
As soon as Yu Zhiwen appeared, Dao Qiongcang had made her examine the Divine Secret and then proceeded to ridicule her. She was not about to let it slide.
"Just because you're a Holy Emperor doesn't mean you can treat me like this!" she retorted, her voice brimming with indignation. She composed herself and said sharply, "Apart from Patriarch Wuji, you're the only one from the Holy Emperor Clan who could have done something like this!"
Dao Qiongcang's gaze darkened.
Yu Zhiwen's aura wavered, fluctuating before finally waning. Her tone softened, but she held her ground. "It's not impossible for you and my Supreme Master's clan to have such capabilities. There are also many experts in the Southern Region who have studied the true meaning of the divine secret. It's not out of the question that they could develop a Divine Puppet."
"It's still early," Dao Qiongcang interrupted.
"It's not too early! Recently, a new Divine Sect has appeared. Rumor has it they're extremely evil. My Little Star is already involved with them. They're incredibly powerful," Yu Zhiwen said, her eyes widening.
"What?" Dao Qiongcang was taken aback.
"The Divine Sect!" Yu Zhiwen's eyes widened even more as she stared at him, clearly shocked that Hallmaster Dao had not heard of such a major event in the divine world.
"Oh, I remember now." Dao Qiongcang rubbed his forehead in realization. "Little Star?"
"Yeah…" Yu Zhiwen's eyes curved into crescents as she clenched her small fists. "She changed her name and became a high-level…"
She suddenly trailed off, her starry eyes dropping to the ground before darting back to Hallmaster Dao. She fluttered her lashes and then quickly looked away.
"What are you thinking about?" Dao Qiongcang demanded.
"I'm not thinking about anything," Yu Zhiwen said hurriedly.
"Speak!"
Yu Zhiwen's lips quivered as if she was on the verge of tears. "Don't scare me…"
"It's not what you think," Dao Qiongcang said, trying to remain calm.
"Then you haven't heard of the Divine Sect? I can't believe that," Yu Zhiwen said, her tone skeptical.
"I've been preoccupied lately. My mind is rather chaotic," Dao Qiongcang explained.
"I don't believe that. Anyway…" Yu Zhiwen rolled her eyes dramatically and added, "I'm going to report…"
"Yu Zhiwen!"
Dao Qiongcang's sudden shout startled everyone at the Southern Zone wall.
"I'm here!" Yu Zhiwen responded, her voice trembling as she stood stiffly.
"Shut your mouth and stop spouting nonsense. Don't talk too much; focus on doing more. If you can think of something, others can too. Use your brain to figure out the reason behind it. Don't act like a child and get stuck at this point." It was rare for Dao Qiongcang to be so blunt and angry.
"Oh."
"Now, let's continue."
"Continue what?"
"Continue what you were saying."
"… Then there's only Xu Xiaoshou left."
"Oh?" Dao Qiongcang's interest was piqued. "Why was Xu Xiaoshou able to research the Divine Puppet?"
"He is capable," Yu Zhiwen asserted.
"Tell me more," Dao Qiongcang urged.
"I won't," Yu Zhiwen said defiantly, her aura rising as she glared at him. "I should talk less and do more."
Dao Qiongcang was stunned, his eyes widening in shock. He was even more shocked than when he had seen Xu Xiaoshou accidentally blow himself up while refining a ninth-grade Elixir.
He walked around Yu Zhiwen, his curiosity piqued by her boldness. "You, if you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush. This girl is really testing my patience today."
"Talk less and do more."
"I'm giving you more leeway to talk now." Dao Qiongcang closed his eyes, and the surrounding air seemed to chill.
Yu Zhiwen trembled, her fear palpable. She considered withdrawing but forced herself to remain. With a determined look, she flipped her hand and took out an astrolabe.
"You! Why did you do something to my Guilan? Speak!" she demanded.