Entry: I Secretly Cultivate Immortality in the Martial Arts World

200: Chapter 200 Gathering InformationSpirit Realm, Eastern Continent, Azure Wave Sect.

True Lord Xuanming restrained his aura and shifted his form, his appearance transforming into that of a young Disciple in his twenties.

He suppressed his cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Realm—neither high nor low, completely unremarkable.

The injury from that previous punch was still throbbing with pain, and True Lord Xuanming was currently feeling quite pragmatic.

It was better to keep a low profile on someone else’s turf.

While he certainly looked down on these ants, what if this insignificant little Sect also hid a lethal Talisman?

A fall in the pit, a gain in wit, as they say.

With his hands behind his back, he paced slowly up the stone steps into the Azure Wave Sect.

Inside the Sect, Disciples were scattered in groups of twos and threes, either discussing the Dao, practicing swordplay, or strolling about—a picture of peaceful harmony.

He casually sought out several groups of Disciples, approaching them with a feigned look of curiosity to fish for information through idle chatter.

“Senior Brother, I heard that several hundred years ago, a divine bird appeared in the world, wreathed in raging flames. I wonder if you have ever seen it?”

Most of the Disciples he questioned had looks of utter confusion.

“A flaming divine bird? Never heard of it.”

“Senior Brother, have you perhaps been reading too many storybooks?”

True Lord Xuanming’s expression remained normal, but he felt a twinge of disappointment in his heart.

These Disciples had low cultivation and were quite young; how could they know of events from five hundred years ago?

However, one person thought for a moment and said, “I haven’t seen a Fire Phoenix, but in our Sect’s back mountains, where the Grand Elder cultivates in seclusion, one can often see an Ice Phoenix circling in the sky. Its entire body exudes a piercing cold, and it is quite beautiful.”

True Lord Xuanming’s brow twitched slightly.

An Ice Phoenix?

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

He made a mental note of this, intending to investigate the back mountains later.

But for now, the priority was still to find the whereabouts of that Fire Phoenix.

If the ordinary Disciples didn’t know, he would find someone who did.

True Lord Xuanming took his leave of the group, quietly spreading out his Divine Sense and quickly locking onto several Nascent Soul Realm auras deep within the Sect.

These Elders might hold high positions in the Azure Wave Sect, but before him, they were no different from toddlers.

His figure flickered, silently infiltrating one of the Immortal Caves.

Inside the Immortal Cave, a Nascent Soul Realm Elder was sitting in meditation with eyes closed.

True Lord Xuanming raised a hand and tapped, sending an invisible Mystical Art into the Elder’s brow.

This technique was called the Heart-Inquiry Formula. Those struck by it would have their minds muddled, answering everything they knew without reservation, yet remaining completely oblivious to it afterward.

The Elder opened his eyes, his gaze dull like a marionette.

True Lord Xuanming spoke and asked, “Roughly five hundred years ago, did a Fire Phoenix come from the Northern Plains and pass through this area?”

The Elder replied woodenly, “That did indeed happen.”

“That Fire Phoenix came south from the Northern Plains, burning everything in its path. Wherever it passed, not a blade of grass remained, and the people were plunged into misery.”

“At that time, every Sect in the Eastern Continent was in a state of panic, fearing the Fire Phoenix would descend upon their own mountain gates.”

True Lord Xuanming’s heart stirred as he continued to ask, “What happened next?”

“Later...”

The Elder’s voice remained stiff, yet it held a few more hints of awe.

“After that Fire Phoenix arrived in the Eastern Continent, before it even reached the Azure Wave Sect, it was destroyed.”

True Lord Xuanming’s eyes narrowed. “Who took action?”

“Unknown.”

“All that is known is that from above the firmament, a giant five-colored palm suddenly descended, blotting out the sun and swatting that Fire Phoenix down with a single strike.”

“The Fire Phoenix gave a mournful cry and was reduced to ashes; not even a trace of soot remained.”

“Cultivators of the Eastern Continent watched from afar and all believed it was the work of a mysterious powerhouse who protects the Eastern Continent.”

“As for who that powerhouse is, no one knows.”

True Lord Xuanming fell silent for a moment.

A giant five-colored palm?

He calculated rapidly in his mind, but could not think of any powerhouse in the Immortal Realm who habitually used such a technique.

He asked a few more questions, but the Elder only repeated the same points over and over, offering no further information.

True Lord Xuanming withdrew the technique and turned to leave.

The Elder shook his head and looked around blankly, assuming he had simply dozed off.

True Lord Xuanming stood in a remote corner of the Azure Wave Sect, his expression pensive.

Although this inquiry hadn’t yielded the detailed reason for Crimson Flame True Lord’s death, he now knew the general course of events.

He was swatted to death by a single palm.

Not even ashes were left.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and activated his Deduction Technique.

Using Crimson Flame True Lord’s birth date, fate, and the location of his fall as catalysts, and using his own True Immortal cultivation as the foundation, he traced back through time to pursue the Karma.

His Divine Sense pierced into the vast Void Realm as the power of deduction spread out.

However...

He deduced absolutely nothing.

True Lord Xuanming opened his eyes, his brow furrowed tightly.

Back in the Immortal Realm, failing to calculate it could be excused by the separation between the Spirit and Immortal Realms and the Chaos of heavenly secrets.

But now that he was in the Spirit Realm and had obtained so much specific information, he still couldn’t calculate a single thing.

This was utterly preposterous.

It was as if an invisible giant hand had wiped that segment of Karma clean, leaving not even a trace.

Or perhaps...

The cultivation of the person who acted was far above his own, to the point that the heavenly secrets were obscured by them.

True Lord Xuanming felt a chill in his heart.

He thought of that giant five-colored palm and the Fist Gang from the Tianyan Dao Sect that had made him cough up blood.

The waters of this Spirit Realm were much deeper than he had imagined.

Can’t afford to provoke them, can’t afford to provoke them.

True Lord Xuanming shook his head, temporarily suppressing these thoughts.

He would set aside the matter of Crimson Flame True Lord for now and deal with it after returning to the Immortal Realm.

For the moment, there was something he could do in passing.

The Ice Phoenix that Disciple mentioned was right here in the Azure Wave Sect’s back mountains.

Since he was already here and had nothing else to do, he might as well go take a look.

His figure flashed as he headed toward the Azure Wave Sect’s back mountains.

(PS: True Lord Xuanming is at the True Immortal Realm. The author’s head is a bit silly and sometimes mixes it up with the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Thanks to many readers for the reminders; the errors in the previous chapter have all been corrected. Love you all~)