Translator: CinderTL
"Prepare to activate the Golden Crow Battleship and head to the Land of Buried Demons!" Li Chunjun declared directly.
Zuo Cheng paused, slightly stunned. "Master... shouldn't you first enter seclusion to consolidate your cultivation?"
He glanced outside. "So many people are waiting for you... If you were to hold a Void Refinement Ceremony, you would undoubtedly receive countless gifts and forge valuable connections!"
"Some matters are more urgent than others," Li Chunjun replied calmly. "We can talk about connections after we've rescued the people from the Azure Star Minor Realm in the Land of Buried Demons!"
He had snatched seven Profound Yellow Dao Fruits from the clutches of numerous Void Refining and Dharma Manifestation Realm powers in the Profound Yellow Vast Land. Although the Observer's Mask had concealed his aura during the operation...
In the entire Profound Yellow Great World, any peerless prodigy powerful enough to contend with Void Refining cultivators in their Primordial Spirit form would inevitably be found on the Cosmic Light List.
As the number one on the Cosmic Light List, he was the prime suspect.
Moreover, he had previously demonstrated his Mind Realm, and now he had effortlessly broken through to the Void Refinement Realm...
The level of suspicion against him was skyrocketing.
Even though it was just suspicion, for those at the Dharma Manifestation Realm, suspicion was often enough.
What need was there for proof?
So, first leave the Profound Yellow Great World and retrieve the Azure Star Minor Realm from the Land of Buried Demons.
Or even...
Stay in the Land of Buried Demons for a while longer, push his Mind Realm to the Fifth Layer, refine all the Void Dao Pills, and forge the Void Storm Dharma Aspect before returning. That wouldn't be impossible either.
After all, the Source of Time—a one-time killing move worth 1,000 Dao Pills—was best left unused if possible.
"Let's go," Li Chunjun said.
Soon, the Golden Crow Battleship had soared into the sky, heading straight for the Canghai Mountain Star Gate.
This scene left the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs waiting outside, including Yi Xuan, the Void Refining Heavenly Monarch, utterly stunned.
The other True Monarchs could be excused.
But for a Heavenly Monarch to personally visit and still be denied even a meeting...
What exactly was Li Chunjun thinking?
After a long moment, the Heavenly Monarch shook his head.
He didn't bother chasing after the Golden Crow Battleship to stop it.
Instead, he turned and returned to the Profound Yellow Sect.
Li Chunjun's attitude was something he needed to report to his Sect Master at the very least.
As Li Chunjun left Cloud Surge Mountain through the Star Gate, heading directly for the territory of the Immortal God Race, news of the upheaval in the Profound Yellow Vast Land quickly spread.
The incident was too massive to remain hidden.
Hundreds of thousands of Primordial Spirit True Monarchs were indirectly involved.
Moreover, in the later stages, Void Refining Great Powers from the Human Race, Divine Race, Demonic Race, and Myriad Transformations Race clashed fiercely in the skies above the Profound Yellow Vast Land. A Demon Lord even narrowly escaped death. Such a monumental event couldn't possibly remain unknown.
Rumors even circulated in the False God Realm that the Human Race was preparing to use the Profound Yellow Great World as a battlefield to officially launch a war against the Great World of the Gods, the Heavenly Demon Great World, and the Myriad Transformations Great World.
Although the Human Race had absolute confidence in its strength, the prospect of war still caused widespread panic.
In particular, the Profound Yellow Great World had only recently joined the Immortal Alliance. Many forces with limited contact with the alliance, unfamiliar with its true strength and stance, were filled with anxiety.
Amidst the widespread rumors and unrest, the Heavenly Palace convened an internal meeting.
To safeguard the interests of the Profound Yellow Great World, the Heavenly Palace dispatched the Demon-Quelling Great Emperor from its headquarters to oversee the situation.
However, the Great Emperor usually focused on refining his Dharma Manifestation and strengthening himself, rarely involving himself in the Heavenly Palace's internal affairs.
The Heavenly Palace's true administrative authority rested with the Council of Elders, composed of the Nine Great Dharma Manifestations.
The Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable was one of the Council's members.
At this moment, this Elder was mobilizing all of the Heavenly Palace's resources, deploying manpower and material wealth in a frantic search for information about the troublemaker.
This effort had even begun to disrupt the other Elders' surveillance and strategic planning in the Profound Yellow Great World.
Considering that the Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable's lineage had just lost at least two or three Profound Yellow Dao Fruits that should have belonged to them, the other Elders refrained from criticizing him. However, they firmly prevented him from interfering in their own territories and affairs.
Despite several days of searching, the Venerable had still gathered a wealth of useful information.
Just as Li Chunjun had predicted, there were only a handful of individuals powerful enough to contend with Void Refining cultivators like the troublemaker. By systematically investigating each one, they were bound to find a lead.
"On the Cosmic Light List, countless desperate individuals risk their lives in fierce competition. It's an incredibly dangerous arena, and not every Venerable or Great Emperor would send their disciples to risk their lives for a Dao Artifact or a Dao-infused material. Jian Wuyuan of the Taixu Sword Sect, Xuanzhen of the Heavenly Principles Sect, and Huang Daoyi of the Profound Yellow Sect all possess the strength to claim the top spot on the Cosmic Light List!"
Before the Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable, stacks of documents were meticulously arranged.
There were over a hundred in total.
However, he focused on only ten.
Among these ten, only three contained information on the top ten contenders on the Cosmic Light List.
Li Chunjun was one of them.
Standing before the Venerable were a male and a female Void Refining cultivator.
The male, known as the Profound Spirit True God, had been his loyal follower for three millennia.
The female, Immortal Maiden Luoyao, was the only disciple among all his disciples to have broken through to the Void Refining Realm, and he held high hopes for her.
It was Immortal Maiden Luoyao who spoke first: "We've investigated all three. Jian Wuyuan and Xuanzhen have airtight alibis. However, Huang Daoyi of the Profound Yellow Sect claims to be in closed-door cultivation, and his whereabouts remain unknown."
"Master, the Profound Yellow Sect is highly suspect!" Daoist Xuanling added.
Daoist Xuanling said, "According to our information, the Profound Yellow Sect has always treated the Profound Yellow Vast Land as their private territory. They've never been happy about the Immortal Alliance forcing them to hand over the Profound Yellow Ancient Tree, so they might send their Heavenly Prodigy to cause trouble for us!"
He added, "They're the only ones who might know the method to force the Profound Yellow Dao Fruit to ripen early."
"The Profound Yellow Sect!"
The Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable also leaned towards this faction.
The strongest evidence was the method to force the Profound Yellow Ancient Tree to ripen.
But...
Unlike the Heavenly Palace, which was an external force, the Profound Yellow Sect was a native power.
As the saying goes, "Even a dragon can't defeat a snake in its own territory."
Their power in the Profound Yellow Great World was only rivaled by a handful of other native Overlord-level powers, such as the Taixu Sword Sect and the Wu Ji Sect.
Just counting the Supreme Sages they openly displayed, you couldn't count them on two hands, let alone those hidden in the shadows.
Such a power...
"It seems many in the Profound Yellow Great World still harbor resentment towards the Immortal Alliance! Don't they realize what their lives would be like without our intervention? They'd not only face the threats of the Divine Race, the Demonic Race, and the Myriad Transformations Race, but also internal suppression from the Taixu Sword Sect!"
The Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable snorted coldly. "Now that the situation has just begun to turn in our favor, they dare to bare their fangs at us?"
He slammed his fist on the table. "Truly ungrateful!"
At that moment, Immortal Maiden Luoyao spoke. "Master, compared to Huang Daoyi of the Profound Yellow Sect and the hidden experts of other factions, I suspect Li Chunjun more."
"Li Chunjun?"
The Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable's gaze shifted.
This person had naturally been on their list of prime suspects.
"I've received intelligence that the Profound Yellow Sect has repeatedly and earnestly courted Li Chunjun. In fact, the Sect Master of the Profound Yellow Sect personally visited him in the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven, a secret realm within the Profound Yellow Great World."
She pondered, "The mastermind is undoubtedly the Profound Yellow Sect, but Li Chunjun is highly likely to be the one carrying out their orders."
"Are you suggesting that Li Chunjun secretly joined the Profound Yellow Sect long ago, but the sect is using him to seize the Profound Yellow Dao Fruit while avoiding any backlash? That's why they haven't announced his membership?"
"That's right!"
Immortal Maiden Luoyao said in a solemn voice, "For this, the Profound Yellow Sect must have given him enormous benefits and promises. Not only would they help him forge his Dharma Manifestation, but they might even split the Profound Yellow Dao Fruit fifty-fifty."
Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable waved his hand dismissively. "Leaving aside his many suspicious points, even if he had none, his position as number one on the Cosmic Light List alone makes him a potential threat to the Profound Yellow Vast Land. He must die without question!"
He turned his gaze to Immortal Maiden Luoyao. "You go personally. Bring his head to me."
"Yes, Master."
Immortal Maiden Luoyao nodded slightly in response.
Though Li Chunjun was a genius of the Human Race who had displayed astonishing power—repelling four Seventh-Rank cultivators with a single sword strike—to her, who stood at the peak of the Void Refinement Realm and was preparing to forge her Dharma Manifestation, such strength was insignificant.
At this moment, Profound Spirit True God suddenly spoke as if receiving a message: "Venerable, the latest report from below confirms that Li Chunjun has achieved Void Refining! Moreover, during his breakthrough, he displayed unparalleled foundation. His Mind Power and mastery of the Dao allowed him to complete the process in just a dozen breaths!"
"A dozen breaths!? Achieving Void Refining!?"
The Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable's pupils contracted.
What did this prove!?
It proved that breaking through to Void Refining was as effortless for Li Chunjun as eating or drinking water, posing no obstacle whatsoever.
"The one who sabotaged our Heavenly Palace's grand scheme in the Profound Yellow Vast Land must be Li Chunjun!"
Immortal Maiden Luoyao suddenly declared, "He already possessed the strength to break through to Void Refining long ago. His Mind Realm had reached the Fourth Layer. He was merely waiting for the opportunity to seize the Profound Yellow Dao Fruit, which is why he held back from advancing! Otherwise, there's no other explanation for his lightning-fast breakthrough!"
"What audacity..."
Universal Transformation Venerable's eyes turned icy. "To think they would scheme against me."
"Master," Profound Spirit True God reported, "our informant says that after Li Chunjun broke through to Void Refining, he didn't linger for a moment. He left immediately, as if he were fleeing!"
As Profound Spirit True God spoke, he quickly added, "I've already sent people to track his movements..."
He stopped abruptly, his expression shifting to one of astonishment as he looked up. "He seems to have... fled into the territory of the Immortal God Race?"
"The Immortal God Race?"
Universal Transformation Venerable froze, almost certain he had misheard.
He couldn't help but ask again, "The Immortal God Race!?"
"Yes! The Immortal God Race!"
Profound Spirit True God's expression also turned strange.
In the next moment, the Nine Heavens Universal Transformation Venerable couldn't help but laugh.
"Truly, you refuse the path to heaven and insist on entering hell!"
He turned his gaze directly to Luo Yao. "Go! Remember, you can leave the body behind, but preserve his soul! I want to burn his soul for forty-nine years, so he understands the price of daring to reach out against the Longevity Sect!"
(End of the Chapter)
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