I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

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Chapter 389: Karma Retribution, Imperial Verdict

Lan Changʼan concluded his nearly half-year-long short seclusion, bringing his age to 394 years.

”After advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, the speed at which the shadow of the fourth life is illuminated has significantly increased.”

Lan Changʼan noticed that the fourth life of the Nine Seal Stele had already been illuminated halfway, and it had only been six months.

In other words, it would take him just one year to fully illuminate the fourth life.

The fourth life descent had not yet been fully expended. If he refrained from fights, talisman crafting, puppet refining, or divination, he could extend its duration even further.

After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, the fourth life descent no longer provided the same kind of leap in power as it did in the Core Formation stage.

Even at his peak, the fourth life Master Lihuo would not be able to defeat Lan Changʼan in a one-on-one battle.

After the last battle with True Monarch Red Serpent, Lan Changʼan had gained a deeper understanding of his own strength.

The destructive power of Withering Divine Light was immense, consuming the essence blood and vital energy of a quasi-fourth-rank body cultivator, granted it considerable might.

When it hit a target, their life force would wither, and their strength would decline. If a direct hit was landed, it would significantly affect the opponent’s lifespan.

If Lan Changʼan were to burn his own lifespan, the power of Withering Divine Light could increase even further.

In a prolonged one-on-one battle, few below mid-stage Nascent Soul could match him.

Of course, Jing Wufeng was an exception.

No matter how powerful Withering Divine Light was, it still had to land a hit to be effective.

...

During his seclusion, Lan Changʼan had acquired part of the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King’s memories.

After being devoured by the Nine Seal Stele, the half-illuminated portion of the fifth life allowed him to perceive chaotic and fragmented memories.

The Scarlet Abyss Serpent King had the most seniority in Great Snake Mountain, and within its memories were many of the sect’s hidden secrets.

The part that interested Lan Changʼan the most was about True Monarch Netherwater, though unfortunately, there were very few visual fragments related to her.

The relationship between Great Snake Mountain and True Monarch Netherwater was merely one of mutual exploitation.

Instead, it was the ”Pagoda Wanderer” who had many secret dealings with Great Snake Mountain.

This Pagoda Wanderer was far from being just a loose cultivator, he had a vast and formidable faction backing him.

As Lan Changʼan sifted through the memories, he couldn’t help but feel surprised.

Among the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King’s memories, there was even a means of contacting Pagoda Wanderer, perhaps there was a chance to lure him out.

”Pagoda Wanderer is rather unremarkable in offense but in defense and self-preservation, heʼs not bad. Destroying his physical body would be easy, but if his Nascent Soul escapes, I’m not confident in capturing it with certainty.”

”Catching a Nascent Soul alive is even more difficult than killing one outright…”

Lan Changʼan had considered making Pagoda Wanderer nourishment for the Nine Seal Stele.

His fifth life had been illuminated by fifty-five percent, and each Nascent Soul devoured would increase it by ten percent.

Before advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, this goal had seemed distant.

But after devouring an Otherworldly Heavenly Demon, his progress had advanced considerably.

Now, fully illuminating the fifth life seemed within reach.

”If I join forces with Jing Wufeng and utilize spatial abilities, there might be a chance to capture Pagoda Wanderer’s Nascent Soul alive.”

Lan Changʼan decided to put this plan on hold for the time being.

A few days later.

Lan Changʼan traveled to Zixia Peak’s Cave Abode to meet and discuss Dao with Purple Mist Fairy.

Great Snake Mountain had planted many hidden agents within the Yunxia Sect, aiming to infiltrate and weaken them.

Lan Changʼan disclosed some of these secrets to Purple Mist Fairy, instructing her to keep the matter confidential for now.

True Monarch Purple Mist was visibly moved, shocked that Lan Changʼan was capable of performing a soul search on the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King.

At the Nascent Soul stage, attempting a soul search on someone of the same level was exceedingly difficult.

Many divine soul techniques placed restrictions on the sea of consciousness, preventing others from forcibly extracting core secrets.

Furthermore, Lan Changʼan had just entered the Nascent Soul stage, making it even harder for him to search the soul of an experienced Nascent Soul cultivator.

As a transformation demon king, the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King did not possess a Nascent Soul, but its Essence Spirit Core within its demon core was exceptionally resilient. This essence was tightly bound to the demon king’s core, making soul-searching just as challenging as with a regular Nascent Soul cultivator.

”The Serpent King’s essence soul couldn’t withstand the torture and revealed some secrets. In exchange, I promised to let it enter reincarnation.”

Lan Changʼan provided a convenient excuse, saying that he had mastered a soul torture technique specialized for interrogation.

In reality, the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King had already perished during their battle that day.

Great Snake Mountain might have sensed something, but they would never have guessed that Lan Changʼan had managed to extract this old ancestor serpent king’s memories.

...

The demonic turmoil in the Central Region of Great Yuan had entered a full-scale outbreak.

This time, the demonic calamity was massive, even spreading to the other four regions of the Great Yuan.

The Central Region of Great Yuan was filled with wails of despair. Mid-to-low-level cultivators suffered devastating massacre, and countless cultivation families and small to mid-sized market towns were wiped out.

Even a considerable number of high-ranking cultivators had perished.

A handful of Nascent Soul old monsters, whether due to bad luck or greed for fourth-rank materials, met their demise at the hands of the demonic creatures.

At this moment of crisis, the three dominant forces of Great Yuan: Yellow Heaven Ghost Palace in the Northern Region, Heavenly Sword Pavilion in the Southern Region, and Sea Suppressing Sect in the Eastern Region issued commands, sending reinforcements to the Central Region while simultaneously treating it as an opportunity to temper their disciples.

The Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, Overturning Sea True Monarch, issued a warning:

”Too many high-ranking cultivators in the Central Region have been over-submitting demon crystals to the Ancient Nether Hall, causing anomalies in the Forbidden Zone’s Abyssal Demon Realm and lead to an even greater outpouring of demonic qi.”

The major powers of the Central Region were each fighting their own battles, with many Nascent Soul old monsters obtaining fortunes from the Ancient Nether Hall, making it difficult for them to come to an agreement.

Moreover, the demonic calamity posed little threat to the top-tier players. Instead, it provided them with a fresh supply of demonic materials.

To them, the Sixteen Sea Suppressing Sects which controlled the coastal regions and had the wealthiest resources was merely making empty proclamations without real concern.

However, the Northern Region’s demonic faction, Yellow Heaven Ghost Palace, was more than happy to receive demonic materials.

The three dominant forces of the Great Yuan were not truly united.

As for the Western Region of Great Yuan, it was a vast ancient forest, belonging to the territory of demonic beasts, and it bordered the forbidden zone of the Central Region on its western side.

Rumors spoke of a descendant of a True Spirit residing in that boundless ancient forest, a mid-fourth-rank avian king, whose strength was comparable to a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.

Geographically, the Central Region of Great Yuan was a fragmented circular shape, and the missing portion was where the endless forest connected to the forbidden zone of the Central Region.

The Western Regionʼs forest was also a hotspot for the demonic calamity, heavily influenced by the forbidden zone of the Central Region, causing a large number of demonic beasts to become corrupted.

...

As the demonic calamity reached its peak, fourth-rank demonic creatures began to emerge within the territories of Great Snake Mountain and Yunxia Sect.

Three months later.

A fourth-rank demonic beast appeared in Great Snake Mountain, and it turned out to be a rare pseudo-dragon species.

Under the banner of ”friendly assistance,” Lan Changʼan swiftly headed to Great Snake Mountain with Lord Earthrock.

However, Great Snake Mountain sternly refused and condemned their intervention.

By the time Lan Changʼan arrived at the scene, it was already too late—

Three Nascent Soul cultivators had already slain the pseudo-dragon fourth-rank demonic beast.

Unexpectedly, within Great Snake Mountain’s territory, there was even a Nascent Soul Elder from the Imperial Family.

It was unclear whether this elder had coincidentally appeared or had been secretly lurking for a long time.

”The Great Yu Imperial Family doesnʼt want Great Snake Mountain to suffer any more losses, offering both open and covert protection and support.”

Lan Changʼan could only leave with regret.

Another half year passed.

A fourth-rank demonic beast emerged within Yunxia Sect’s domain, having fled from outside the Great Yu Kingdom’s borders.

Fourth-rank demonic creatures possessed considerable intelligence. However, they struggle to suppress their instinct for slaughter. Some of them are also reluctant to engage in battles with Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

It typically required at least three Nascent Soul cultivators working together to confidently slay a fourth-rank demonic beast.

Upon receiving intelligence, Yunxia Sect dispatched all three of their Nascent Soul combatants to hunt down the fourth-rank demonic beast within their territory.

Had they acted too slowly, it was likely that Great Snake Mountain and the Imperial Family’s Nascent Soul cultivators would have intervened and taken a share of the spoils.

The fourth-rank demonic beast that entered Yunxia Sect’s territory was a tiger-type creature, possessing incredible speed and destructive power.

In a flash, it had razed an entire mid-sized immortal city to the ground.

”A pity it wasn’t an avian-type fourth-rank demonic beast.”

Lan Changʼan felt a hint of regret, if it had been an avian species, it would have aided the Exotic Spirit Peacock in advancing to the fourth rank.

Even so, it took a great deal of effort for Yunxia Sect’s three Nascent Soul cultivators to corner the fourth-rank Demon Tiger within a mountain valley.

To accomplish this Lan Changʼan utilized divination techniques to track and predict the beast’s movements and Purple Mist Fairy wielded her Wind Cloud Fan, enhancing mobility while using wind and cloud spells to restrict the Demon Tiger’s escape.

Had they delayed any further, unforeseen variables would have arisen.

In the end, Lan Changʼan, Jiang Ziyan, and Lord Earthrock, the three Nascent Soul combatants, joined forces with the puppet army formation, successfully slaying the fourth-rank Demon Tiger.

However, Lord Earthrock suffered significant injuries during the final counterattack, since it had fought the fourth-rank demonic beast in close combat.

Not long after the Demon Tiger was slain, two Nascent Soul cultivators from Great Snake Mountain arrived in a hurry.

Seeing that they had lost their chance to interfere, they left with frustration.

”Senior Brother, you need not be concerned.”

True Monarch Red Refinement consoled, saying:

”The Imperial Elder said that crafting a fourth-rank puppet is an extremely complex process that requires a wide variety of materials. A single fourth-rank demonic beast’s materials are far from sufficient.”

”Even if Yunxia Sect were to spend a massive fortune to gather the required materials, the chances of success in the first attempt to reach the fourth-rank puppet mastery are slim, and even the second attempt isnʼt guaranteed success.”

According to the Imperial Family’s records, there had been documentation on fourth-rank Puppet Grandmasters, and the difficulty of reaching that level was far beyond ordinary comprehension.

...

On the return journey to Yunxia Sect, Lan Changʼan proposed:

”Ziyan, let the sect keep half of the materials from the fourth-rank demonic beast. We can accumulate more materials over time, and in the future, I will help you craft a quasi-fourth-rank puppet.”

At present, Lan Changʼan had no plans to forge a true fourth-rank puppet.

Some materials from the fourth-rank demonic beast could be used to enhance the green-armored puppet, but the Exotic Spirit Peacock had extremely strict material requirements, and very little could be repurposed for its advancement.

As for gathering a complete set of materials to construct a proper fourth-rank puppet, that would not be possible in the short term.

This was because a fourth-rank puppet’s core and central components couldn’t be assembled simply by obtaining a random fourth-rank demonic beast or demonized creature.

Thus, Lan Changʼan opted for a more realistic approach, crafting a quasi-fourth-rank puppet. This aligned better with his current level of puppet refinement and would allow him to gain valuable experience.

”Then I’ll have to trouble you, Dalong.”

Purple Mist Fairy couldnʼt refuse his proposal, her gaze carrying warmth as she spoke softly.

Strictly speaking, in this hunt for the fourth-rank demonic beast, her share of the materials should not have exceeded one-third.

Yet, without the backing of a sect, it was nearly impossible for a solitary Nascent Soul loose cultivator to claim the majority of a fourth-rank demonic beast’s spoils within the Great Yu Kingdom.

Moreover, in this ongoing demonic calamity, Yunxia Sect had used its influence and channels to help Lan Changʼan collect high-rank materials, ensuring that his puppet army formation could upgrade all puppets to peak third-rank, it was just a matter of time.

”The demon core of a fourth-rank demonic beast is difficult for non-demonic cultivators to utilize. Dalong, you can look for an opportunity to trade it in the future.”

After some discussion, True Monarch Purple Mist offered additional compensation.

This particular demon core wasn’t earth-attribute, and even after purification, it would be far less effective for Lord Earthrock than the Essence Soul Core of the Corrupted Stoneheart Dragon it had acquired in the past.

The Stoneheart Dragon had only been partially demonized, whereas the creatures in this current demonic calamity were deeply corrupted by demonic energy.

After distributing the spoils, Jiang Ziyan had mixed feelings.

She realized Xiang Dalong’s willingness to yield benefits and propose forging a quasi-fourth-rank puppet was his way of repaying both her and Yunxia Sect.

This meant that when Lan Changʼan eventually left Yunxia Sect and returned to his homeland, he would owe them nothing.

How much longer would Xiang Dalong stay?

A sudden melancholy filled Jiang Ziyan’s heart. She had a strong premonition that this day was not far off.

For the remainder of the journey back to the sect, Jiang Ziyan remained silent, simply holding onto Lan Changʼan’s arm as they traveled.

Until a sudden emergency message arrived from Yunxia Sect.

Whoosh!

Jiang Ziyan abruptly flipped her hand, retrieving a communication jade talisman, a transmission from the sect had arrived.

”This… how could this happen?!”

True Monarch Purple Mist’s eyes darkened, her expression turning grim, caught completely off guard.

”Ziyan, what’s wrong?”

Lan Changʼan, filled with confusion, gently stroked the back of her jade-like hand, softly offering comfort while inquiring about the situation.

...

Yunxia Sect, Yingyi Peak Grand Hall.

By the time the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs arrived, several coffins had already been arranged inside the grand hall.

The coffins here held the high-ranking sect members who had perished in the demonic calamity or cultivators who had made significant contributions.

After a brief wait, another coffin was brought in, its lid yet to be sealed.

Inside, wrapped in a white cloth, lay the mutilated body of a man, his corpse so mangled that it was unbearable to look at. His head was missing, and on his mangled shoulders and other body parts, there were clear bite marks from demonic creatures.

”Reporting to the two True Monarchs.”

Sect Master Xuefeng entered the grand hall, bowed respectfully, and began recounting the details:

”This morning, Junior Brother Hu led a team to clear out the demonic calamity near Red Mountain Lake. Although the area was infested with many demonic creatures, there were only two third-rank ones among them. However, in the midst of battle, a particularly powerful late third-rank demonic ape suddenly appeared, throwing the battlefield into crisis.”

”At the critical moment, Junior Brother Hu stepped forward to hold off the late third-rank demonic beast, luring it away to prevent heavy casualties. He assured the others that he could protect himself, but by the time reinforcements arrived, he had already been killed by the demonic ape. Seeing itself outnumbered, the beast abandoned his corpse and fled the scene.”

Sect Master Xuefeng’s face carried grief and sorrow as he finished explaining the events.

”Wretched beast!”

True Monarch Purple Mist’s eyes flashed with cold light, her chest rising and falling slightly in anger. The tragic death of her personal disciple filled her with fury.

The Nascent Soul-level spiritual pressure she unconsciously released made the entire grand hall feel suffocating, none of the Core Formation cultivators present dared to breathe too loudly.

She stepped forward and personally examined the corpse, confirming that the wounds were indeed caused by demonic creatures, and found no evidence of foul play.

”Where are Little Hu’s belongings?”

”His storage pouch shattered in battle. However, his commonly used magical treasures and durable items were recovered. It likely wasn’t a case of murder for treasure.” Sect Master Xuefeng answered cautiously.

”Pass down my order, find that demonic ape within three days! I will personally slay that beast!”

Taking a deep breath, True Monarch Purple Mist’s killing intent surged. However, she then forcibly closed her eyes, trying to suppress her emotions.

The death of Hu Ang stirred up deep-seated grief in True Monarch Purple Mist’s heart.

Many years ago, back when she was still in the Core Formation stage, her senior brother, whom she had once loved, had also perished and was devoured by demonic creatures during a past demonic calamity.

Later, she accidentally learned that this incident had been orchestrated by True Monarch Yunlan in secret.

”Ziyan, the living must carry on. The priority now is to uncover the truth and avenge Little Hu.”

Lan Changʼan spoke in a calm and reassuring tone, gently comforting Jiang Ziyan.

However, he silently thought to himself— If Jiang Ziyan knew Hu Ang’s true identity, what would she feel?

The reality was, that Hu Ang had been possessed by the remnant Nascent Soul of True Monarch Yunlan.

Now, in a twist of fate, True Monarch Yunlan, who had schemed in the past, had also perished in a demonic calamity, it could be considered a kind of karmic retribution.

...

Three days later.

Yunxia Sect tracked down the culprit, the late third-rank demonic ape.

The beast had sustained severe injuries from its battle with Hu Ang, and before it could recover, Purple Mist Fairy arrived in fury and personally beheaded it.

After a thorough investigation, Yunxia Sect concluded that Hu Ang’s death was purely due to misfortune and overconfidence.

The gap between a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator and a late-stage Core Formation expert was significant. It was not uncommon for someone like Hu Ang to die when facing a late third-rank demonic beast alone.

However, Lan Changʼan knew the truth.

Despite being at the mid-Core Formation stage, Hu Ang’s true strength far exceeded his apparent cultivation because Hu Ang had been possessed by a remnant Nascent Soul.

His actual combat ability was strong enough to contend with late-stage Core Formation experts.

Had he used his trump cards, he would have stood a fair chance of defeating the late third-rank demonic ape one-on-one.

The real reason he lured the demonic ape away was to hide his true strength and claim the beast’s materials for himself.

If he had fought in front of others, the precious demonic ape materials would have been turned over to the sect, where they would have likely been used to enhance Xiang Dalong’s puppet formation.

However, Hu Ang had ultimately miscalculated.

His cultivation was still slightly inferior to that of the demonic ape, and if a third party had interfered, such as a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, the risk to him would have increased significantly.

And if the one interfering was a Nascent Soul True Monarch, then his death would have been swift and unnoticed.

This was why, True Monarch Purple Mist never even considered suspecting Lan Changʼan.

At the time of the incident, Lan Changʼan and Lord Earthrock had been with her, tracking and hunting the fourth-rank demonic beast.

Even though Lan Changʼan possessed a quasi-fourth-rank puppet, it was impossible for him to control it from such a long distance.

Thus, no one would ever suspect that Hu Ang’s death had an unseen hand behind it.

...

Inside the secret chamber of the underground palace.

In the dimly lit secret chamber beneath the underground palace, Lan Changʼan finally reunited with the green-armored puppet after some time apart.

”This is a spatial storage ring that was hidden on Hu Angʼs body. It has already been drained of any foreign object scent.”

Puppet Master Wei respectfully presented the item.

”Well done! Yunxia Sect remains completely unaware of a third party’s involvement.”

Lan Changʼan nodded approvingly.

”Dealing with a below late Core Formation kid, and doing so from the shadows? Naturally, there was no difficulty.”

Puppet Master Wei spoke as if the matter were trivial.

As a genuine fourth-rank puppet, he was fully capable of matching a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Thanks to the special nature of puppet clones, Puppet Master Wei could remain linked to Lan Changʼan over long distances.

Even when operating beyond the usual control range, he was able to act independently and execute missions autonomously.

The Central Region of Great Yuan had suffered through numerous demonic calamities, leading some factions to develop various powdered medicinal fragrances, some attracted demonic creatures, others repelled them.

Using these specialized means, Puppet Master Wei, combining his own suppressive aura, secretly herded a third-rank demonic beast toward Hu Ang’s location.

Given the speed and ferocity of a third-rank demonic beast, if Hu Ang did not stand his ground, his entire squad would have suffered heavy casualties.

At the same time, Hu Ang could not afford to openly display his true strength, lest he raise the suspicions of True Monarch Xiang.

Lan Changʼan had anticipated this predicament and formulated a meticulously planned scheme, utilizing his quasi-fourth-rank divination art to subtly influence events.

Of course, in the ever-changing flow of fate, not every scheme unfolded exactly as planned.

However, once the divination art reached a certain level, it became possible to tilt the course of events ever so slightly, nudging the wings of a butterfly to guide the unfolding future toward the desired outcome.

A truly powerful divination master can even manipulate the heavenly mechanisms to orchestrate someone’s death from afar. All it required was a slight push at the critical moment in their fate.

Naturally, such abilities came with a price and could not be used frequently.

Moreover, their effectiveness was greatly reduced when used against individuals with strong destiny or high cultivation.

Especially those with great fortune, not only were they difficult to calculate, but attempting to manipulate them often resulted in severe backlash.

...

With both Scarlet Abyss Serpent King and True Monarch Yunlan now dead, Lan Changʼan’s cleansing plan had temporarily reached its conclusion.

Originally, he had considered having the green-armored puppet retrieve Hu Ang’s remnant soul and testing whether it could be devoured by the Nine Seal Stele.

However, through divination, Lan Changʼan foresaw that bringing back the remnant soul would complicate matters, introducing unnecessary variables.

Instead, it was safer to let the demonic beast consume Hu Ang’s soul, severing all connections.

After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator’s remnant soul, once fallen from its former realm, had limited value to the Nine Seal Stele.

As for True Monarch Yunlan’s fate in the Ancient Nether Hall, Lan Changʼan had already pieced together a rough picture through the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King’s memories.

True Monarch Yunlan had been betrayed and slain in a joint effort between the True Monarch Red Serpent, Pagoda Wanderer, and Demonic Blade Nangong Xiu.

In the Ancient Nether Hall, True Monarch Yunlan had indeed handled a pseudo-spiritual treasure, but he had passed it to another Nascent Soul cultivator and it had nothing to do with him after that.

Thus, a mere remnant soul that wasnʼt a Nascent Soul held little value for Lan Changʼan.

...

One year later.

A year had passed, and the demonic qi pouring out from the forbidden zone of the Central Region had noticeably weakened.

The threat of the demonic upheaval had significantly diminished.

Major factions across Great Yuan concluded that the cataclysmic demonic upheaval, which had shaken the entire realm, was now entering its final phase.

The duration of this disaster, as well as the sheer number of high-rank demonic creatures, had far exceeded anything seen in thousands of years.

During these chaotic years, apart from a few critical interventions, Lan Changʼan mostly focused on studying divine secret arts and using collected materials to enhance the strength of his puppet formation.

He frequently employed divination techniques, even at the cost of sacrificing his lifespan to improve their efficacy.

Since advancing to the Nascent Soul stage 16 years ago, Lan Changʼan has already sacrificed over 30 years of his lifespan, with the most significant losses occurring in recent years.

Fortunately, he had managed to faintly glimpse at the higher realm of fourth-rank divination, briefly perceiving the vast river of fate itself.

Recently, while sorting through the various tokens and items he had received, Lan Changʼan came across a conch shell marked with a ”Heaven” character.

It was unmistakably left behind by True Monarch Jing Tian.

”For this token to have arrived in Yunxia Sect… it means that Jing Wufeng has been in Great Yu Kingdom recently.”

Lan Changʼan’s gaze flickered as he activated the ”Heaven” character restriction on the conch using their agreed-upon method.

As expected, a projection emerged within the conch: Jing Wufeng’s silhouette, standing with his hands behind his back.

His voice rang out:

”I’ve managed to temporarily shake off my troubles. When the time is right, we should meet.”

...

Two months later.

With most high-rank demonic creatures purged from within Great Yu’s borders, the major factions finally breathed a sigh of relief.

On this day, a royal edict arrived from the Great Yu Imperial Court, personally delivered by an imperial envoy to Yunxia Sect.

”This is a secret decree issued personally by the Yu Emperor.”

Purple Mist Fairy furrowed her delicate brows as she handed the edict to Lan Changʼan.

”It states that the truth behind the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King’s death has been fully uncovered. This time, it is a preliminary verdict for us to review. If we disagree, we may go to the imperial court in the capital to present our case.”

Lan Changʼan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”The demonic calamity isn’t even over yet, and the imperial family is already rushing to make a ruling?”

He swiftly scanned through the contents of the edict.

Moments later,

”Hah! How exactly did the Imperial Court conduct this investigation? They’re so certain we’re the culprits?”

Lan Changʼan’s expression darkened.

”The imperial family possesses a secret technique known as the ‘Source of Malefic Aura’ tracking method.”

Purple Mist Fairy explained, her tone grave.

”As long as they have remnants of the deceased’s soul energy, whether from their sect’s soul lamps or other spiritual traces, they can trace the killer’s aura. However, this technique comes at an extreme cost, so it is rarely used.”

”‘Source of Malefic Aura’? The imperial family actually has such a technique?”

Lan Changʼan’s expression grew even more serious.

This meant that any act of killing, if it carried a strong enough karmic imprint, could potentially be traced back to the perpetrator.

Great Snake Mountain had clearly cooperated with the imperial family, allowing the investigation to lock onto Yunxia Sect.

Once the imperial court proceedings begin, Lan Changʼan will find it difficult to extricate himself from the situation.

The imperial family has decreed that the Yunxia Sect must surrender either the remains of the Scarlet Abyss Serpent King or the corpse of a fourth-rank demonic beast. Additionally, one marketplace, along with the rights to three mines and spiritual fields within Yunxia Sectʼs territory, are to be allocated to the Great Snake Mountain as compensation.

Should Yunxia Sect disagree, both parties will proceed to the Imperial City for a public and impartial confrontation.