The Ninth Heaven was once again in turmoil, and the most powerful faction, the Sanqing Sect, suffered a devastating blow.
The sect leader, all the elders, and even the Kunpeng Immortal Emperor were gravely injured.
The Kunpeng Immortal Emperor, who had just gone to the Eighth Heaven to obtain the Emperor’s Soul Pill to heal his wounds, was utterly disheartened. He couldn’t figure out why he always seemed to be at the epicenter whenever an explosion occurred. If things continued like this, how could he continue being an Immortal Emperor? He originally had several Supreme Artifacts to protect himself, and even received some Supreme Artifacts from above to host a competition, but now these Supreme Artifacts were nearly completely destroyed after repeated explosions. It could be said that he had lost nearly all his valuable treasures.
The Sanqing Sect suffered even greater losses, with several elders either killed or gravely injured, and all their medicinal pills and materials were lost, leaving the sect severely weakened.
Xinglang, who was already seriously injured and hadn’t fully recovered, was completely wiped out this time, his life talisman in the Mingfu Palace shattered directly, forcing him to reincarnate.
This news would surely spread rapidly. Factions that had deep-seated grudges against the Sanqing Sect would seize the opportunity to make secret contacts and gather together, eager to take advantage of the situation and strike the Sanqing Sect while it was vulnerable. The factional conflicts in the Ninth Heaven would thus be accelerated into a white-hot intensity.
“Xingjue, so you’re the hidden hand behind all this! I must capture you, tear you limb from limb, scatter your soul, and banish you for eternity so you can never be reborn!”
The Kunpeng Immortal Emperor, battered and bruised, his protective artifacts destroyed, his immortal body once again gravely wounded, and his entire body scorched, screamed hysterically before immediately fleeing to the Eighth Heaven to seek help from the White Tiger Emperor to capture Xingjue.
In the confusion, Xingjue had inadvertently become Shui Miao’s scapegoat.
The Kunpeng Immortal Emperor immediately rushed to the Eighth Heaven to seek help from the White Tiger Emperor, while the Xinghe Immortal Emperor also arrived.
The White Tiger Emperor immediately ordered the sealing of the heavenly gates, heightened vigilance, and the search and capture of Xingjue.
But by then, Shui Miao and Elder Xingjue had already passed through the Seventh Heaven and escaped to the Sixth Heaven.
The White Tiger Emperor and others pursued them to the Seventh Heaven, alerting the Qiantian Immortal Emperor of the Seventh Heaven, and then followed the trail to the Sixth Heaven, directly blocking the heavenly gate leading to the Fifth Heaven. The Sixth Heaven was in chaos, with its Water Tianyi Matriarch having gone mad, and temporarily governed by the general Jin Ping. Upon learning the situation, Jin Ping quickly gathered a large number of heavenly soldiers and generals to assist. In no time, four Immortal Emperors and hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers were mobilized, turning the previously tranquil Sixth Heaven into a bustling and chaotic place.
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“Friends, friends, have you heard? The Immortal Realm has already begun to descend into chaos!”
In a tavern on the Sixth Heaven, an old immortal at the Xianweng level lowered his voice and approached a group of immortals who were having a meal, whispering mysteriously and furtively.
“No, we haven’t heard anything!”
“But I saw a large number of heavenly soldiers and generals being mobilized, even the Immortal Emperor has come out.”
“Our Immortal Emperor rarely comes out; what could he be doing this time?”
“Old brother, quickly tell us, what’s going on?”
The group of immortals having their meal was instantly filled with intense curiosity.
The old immortal looked left and right cautiously, as if guarding against thieves, and lowered his voice to a whisper: “This is an absolute secret. You can know about it, but you mustn’t spread it around. My brother works in the military department, and he told me that a supreme expert from the First Heaven has acted. This supreme expert first gravely injured our Water Tianyi Matriarch, stole all the materials and pills she had accumulated over the years, then disguised himself as an ordinary immortal, causing chaos in the Ninth Heaven, wiping out the Kunlun Sect and the Sanqing Sect there. The mobilization of heavenly soldiers and generals is ostensibly to quell the disturbance, but in reality, it’s to create a show of force in order to rob the various sects of their accumulated crystals, forging materials, and pills amidst the chaos.”
“My heavens, an expert from the First Heaven, isn’t that someone from the Celestial Court!”
“Of course! Who else but someone from the Celestial Court could have the power to drive the Water Tianyi Matriarch mad?”
“That’s true, but the Celestial Court is going too far this time. How can the various sects survive under such circumstances?”
“Ah! With the impending war between immortals and gods, who would have thought the Celestial Court would lose its composure first… But it’s strange; the Celestial Court should already have an abundance of forging materials, crystals, and pills. Why would they still need to seize resources from the sects?”
“Pfft, brother, you’re too naive. If the Celestial Court doesn’t seize your sect’s resources, won’t your sect grow powerful enough to replace the Celestial Court?”
“…”
The immortals began discussing animatedly. By then, the old immortal had already quietly left to spread his “secret” to other tables.
In many bustling places on the Sixth Heaven, there were immortals in disguise spreading “secrets.” After spreading these secrets, these disguised immortals all gathered around a mysterious old man to receive generous rewards. After a while, the immortals who had learned these secrets began spreading the news on their own.
The mysterious old man then disappeared into the thick clouds.
To prevent others from investigating him, he activated his magical power to create a fire around him before using a special sky-flying talisman to enter a palace, transforming into a female official serving under Water Tianyi Matriarch, taking on the appearance of Da Da, one of the senior attendants.
At the back of the palace was a secret room protected by various mysterious arrays to prevent prying eyes. Inside, the Water Tianyi Matriarch was seated in meditation on a giant lotus flower.
Xiao Xiao opened the door of the secret room and welcomed Da Da inside.
Da Da quickly stepped forward to report to the Matriarch: “My Lady, the news has already been spread. I believe it won’t be long before everyone in the Ninth Heaven knows how despicable and shameless the Celestial Court is. They would even target you for their own interests.”
Seeing that Water Tianyi Matriarch did not respond, Xiao Xiao asked: “My Lady, what should we do next?”
It turned out that the Water Tianyi Matriarch had a Nine-Turns Emperor Soul Pill hidden on her person. After being gravely injured, she quickly consumed the Nine-Turns Emperor Soul Pill, which finally healed her wounds and restored her vitality. To mislead her enemies, the Water Tianyi Matriarch deliberately feigned madness and retreated into hiding, beginning to secretly plot against the supreme expert from the First Heaven.
After a brief pause, Water Tianyi Matriarch opened her eyes and said coldly: “Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. They dared to frame me in secret; I will show them the might of Water Tianyi. Now, we do nothing. We wait and see what develops. Keep an eye on the reactions of the various sects while conducting a covert investigation. We must find out who exactly caused the chaos in the Ninth Heaven. Also, you must find a way to locate Shui Miao and bring him to me.”
“My Lady, I suspect that Shui Miao is the one who caused the chaos in the Ninth Heaven and stole the forging materials from the Sanqing Sect,” Xiao Xiao said with a frown.
Da Da was taken aback, “But wasn’t it Xingjue who stole the materials from the Sanqing Sect, not Shui Miao?”
“Xingjue is merely a senior elder who has remained obscure for many years. He doesn’t even know how to forge immortal artifacts. What would he need those materials for?” Xiao Xiao shook her head. “I suspect Xingjue is just a decoy. The real person who caused chaos in the Ninth Heaven should be Shui Miao.”
Da Da frowned. “But how could the Kunpeng Immortal Emperor and the others have made such a mistake?”
“Enough guessing…”
Water Tianyi Matriarch raised her hand. “I’ve already said, we must investigate and find out who this person is. Guessing back and forth among yourselves won’t produce any results. I only want the truth. Don’t bring your suspicions to me.”
“As you command…”
Da Da and Xiao Xiao quickly complied.
After a short pause, Da Da said, “My Lady, if that person is indeed Shui Miao and he is in danger, should we rescue him?”
“All who oppose the Celestial Court are our friends. You may leave now.”
Water Tianyi Matriarch closed her eyes and continued her meditation.
Da Da and Xiao Xiao exchanged glances, then quickly exited.
They were utterly loyal to Water Tianyi Matriarch. Even if she turned against the Celestial Court, they would unhesitatingly stand by her side.
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