"Shangguan Hao couldn't possibly still be alive... It must be that he was killed, and his essence blood jade pendant was taken," the man in black deduced, shaking his head repeatedly.
As a cultivator from the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect, he was taking significant risks by venturing into this battlefield controlled by the Reincarnation Divine Sect. If he were to recklessly attack a cultivator within Heavenly Sword City, it would undoubtedly provoke a massive retaliation from the Reincarnation Divine Sect. For now, he had no choice but to accept his loss. He would have to wait for another opportunity.
"Wei Ji from the Feather Transformation Heaven Palace holds a grudge against the Reincarnation Divine Sect; perhaps he can be utilized..." he contemplated, soon vanishing into the darkness.
...
Inside Heavenly Sword City, Chu Xuan was concocting pills.
The moment the formation on the essence blood jade pendant disappeared, he felt as though a prying gaze swept over him. His breath almost halted in that instant, and the pill he was crafting explosively failed.
"What happened?" he wondered. "Why did I feel that way? Is it a premonition of merit warning me?"
Chu Xuan opened his storage bag and began to sift through its contents item by item. His gaze unknowingly settled on the essence blood jade pendant. He remembered that the surface of the pendant was originally marked with complex and profound formation patterns, but now they were completely gone.
This meant that if True Master Tiancang were to employ divination to seek him out, there was a possibility he could be discovered.
"Should I flee?" he pondered. "Or should I stay in Heavenly Sword City and watch how things unfold? Perhaps True Master Tiancang no longer cares about this matter..."
After a brief moment of contemplation, Chu Xuan found his answer. Regardless of whether True Master Tiancang was willing to spend his lifespan to take divination, Chu Xuan couldn't take the risk.
After all, this was a Deity Transformation great being. If he were to lock onto Chu Xuan and personally intervene, Chu Xuan might not even have the chance to use the Blood Mirror to escape!
Without another word, he decided.
Time to run!
Chu Xuan left a voice transmission for He Ze in the cave dwelling and then, taking advantage of the cover of night silently escaped Heavenly Sword City. He found a secluded cave where he quickly set up a formation and then departed through the Blood Mirror.
Ordinarily, when planning to flee to Blue Star, he would make thorough preparations. However, this time, lacking a Nascent Soul cultivation technique, escaping to the blue sea would serve little purpose. He could not stay on Blue Star forever. Once the immediate danger passed, he planned to return eventually. He Ze's voice transmissions would serve as his channel of information.
Of course, he would not fully trust He Ze, considering the potential for coercion. The trust would depend on his own judgment. Chu Xuan only needed to return to the extraterritorial battlefield periodically to check for any messages from He Ze.
...
At the Reincarnation Tower, what was once a bustling place had now become eerily quiet, scarcely a soul in sight. In the highest-floor cultivation room, True Master Tiancang sat on a white jade disk, his figure withered and his hair white, resembling rotting wood that could crumble into fragments with a mere gust of wind.
A knock sounded.
The voice of Leng Hanshuang came from outside, "Uncle Master Tiancang, the Heavenly Longevity Pill is ready."
True Master Tiancang laughed softly, "I understand, I'll perform it now." He scoffed internally.
The Astral Projection ancestor also had divination techniques but chose to let others use theirs instead, obviously to avoid shortening his own lifespan.
While he thought this, he did not show it and immediately began using his lifespan to perform the divination. Almost instantly, his newly darkened hair showed several white strands again, and wrinkles formed at the corners of his eyes and mouth, adding a hint of age.
After a long while, he exhaled and finished his effort, shaking his head repeatedly. "Nothing. The tree seed still shows no sign, completely untraceable. My divination techniques are still too inferior. If the ancestor made the effort, he would surely locate the Taotie Tree Seed easily."
Leng Hanshuang's expression turned grim. She had volunteered to locate the Taotie Tree Seed, only to yield no results after five years.
Suddenly, True Master Tiancang uttered a light "Hmm?"
Leng Hanshuang's eyes brightened, "Is there something?"
True Master Tiancang smiled, "While randomly divining, I detected the murderer of my disciple Yun Zhongyu. His presence flickered near Heavenly Sword City. This person has hidden deeply, perhaps achieving a breakthrough, which is why his aura was exposed. Unfortunately, I have expended a lot of my lifespan and now need to recuperate..."
Leng Hanshuang raised an eyebrow, "Then allow me to handle this for you, Uncle Master Tiancang. I will capture this murderer alive and bring him back tomorrow!"
Her frustration needed an outlet, and now that she had a target, she was ready to vent her anger.
True Master Tiancang chuckled heartily, "There is also a talented alchemist in Heavenly Sword City with exceptional skills in pill-making. I always appreciate talent, so please, Holy Maiden, bring that alchemist back for me as well."
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