Chapter 427: Origins of the Pangu Great World

"There must be a surveillance array here…" Feng He instantly realized.

Before the two could check the location of the surveillance array, both the teleportation array and the surveillance array collapsed instantly.

"When did Hearing Ku Lu become this terrifying?" Feng He looked at his companion, as if speaking to him, yet almost as if muttering to himself.

He looked at everything before him and felt a chill run down his spine. This scheme was not only precise—it was sinister.

His soul tablet was lost in his hands, yet he remained unharmed—would the Star Lord believe that?

The other man shook his head: "We didn't identify who the opponent was. Maybe it wasn't Hearing Ku Lu at all?"

"What do we do now?"

"What else can we do? Report immediately to the Star Lord. We'll never find the truth if we keep investigating ourselves."

"But the Star Lord isn't here right now."

"Even if he's not here, we must report. We can't bear the responsibility."

…

Ding Huan sat on the iron cauldron, staring at the soul tablet in his hand, then raised his hand to set up a Void Soul-Seeking Immortal Array.

There were many kinds of Soul-Seeking Immortal Arrays; the one set up via a soul tablet was merely one among them.

This Immortal Array was a Level Five array—those two fellows couldn't have set it up, which was perfectly normal.

Though the celestial laws here were complete, array masters were still rare, let alone a Level Five Immortal Array Master.

As Ding Huan completed the Soul-Seeking Array and communicated with the soul tablet, a faint trail soon appeared on the tablet, pointing in one direction.

Ding Huan immediately directed the iron cauldron toward the direction indicated by the soul. One day later, he no longer needed the pointer—he could sense the other's presence directly.

He put away the iron cauldron and switched to a mid-grade flying Immortal Artifact, which he had obtained from the hooded cultivator's ring.

Inside it were not only a mid-grade flying Immortal Artifact, but also a top-grade flying Immortal Artifact—a ship.

In just half an hour, Ding Huan's spiritual sense detected a Qi-Blocking Array.

His spiritual sense seeped inside, and his suspicion proved correct: this Hearing Ku Lu was indeed the young man he had suspected of possessing the red goods.

This fellow must have been cornered—he'd set up a Qi-Blocking Array to prevent others from tracking his soul.

It was practically the same as covering one's ears while stealing a bell.

Ding Huan's arrival had clearly drawn Hearing Ku Lu's attention.

Hearing Ku Lu sighed and opened his protective array.

He knew perfectly well he was covering his ears while stealing a bell—it was merely psychological comfort.

Who, if they could avoid it, would choose death?

Others called him Shadow, but he preferred to live in the sunlight.

"Zhang San?" Seeing Ding Huan before him, Hearing Ku Lu looked astonished.

If this had been earlier, he would have immediately subdued Ding Huan without hesitation.

But now that the Sword Young Master was dead, whether or not he subdued Ding Huan, he was certain to die.

If that's the case, why waste energy?

All he needed to do now was to self-annihilate before his pursuers found him.

He still held great respect for Ding Huan.

He had managed to escape while the three Great Yi Immortals held off the Flesh-Eating Golden Beasts—and he had actually dared to run.

"You're Hearing Ku Lu? The Shadow Bodyguard of the Sword Young Master?" Ding Huan looked at the unremarkable youth and asked casually.

"How do you know?" Hearing Ku Lu stared at Ding Huan in disbelief.

He had never told his name to anyone—how could Ding Huan know it?

"Whether I know or not doesn't matter. Aren't you out of options now?" Ding Huan smiled.

Hearing Ku Lu paid no mind to Ding Huan's seemingly gleeful expression and said coolly: "I am indeed out of options—but killing you would take no effort at all."

"I won't kill you because you'll be killed soon anyway. I suggest you flee quickly—you might live a few more days. Or better yet, find a deserted place and self-annihilate."

"No need to self-annihilate yet. Let's make a deal. Tell me why the Sword Young Master gathered ten people to come here, and I'll remove your greatest worry." Ding Huan spoke as if unconcerned.

Hearing Ku Lu stared at Ding Huan in silence: "You know what I'm most worried about?"

Ding Huan said calmly: "It's simply that your soul tablet is in someone else's hands."

Hearing Ku Lu widened his eyes, staring at Ding Huan: "How do you even know that?"

Ding Huan spread his hands: "Isn't it obvious? You're the Sword Young Master's Shadow Bodyguard—he naturally kept your soul tablet to ensure you didn't slack off."

"Now that the Sword Young Master is dead, you're bound to die with him. Your soul tablet is out there, leaving you nowhere to run—that's your problem."

Hearing Ku Lu stared at Ding Huan for a long while, then let out a long sigh:

"You're a terrifying person. At first, I thought you were merely strong in spiritual sense. Now I see—I, along with Wu Jian and Hu Xiangyang, all misjudged you."

"I even wonder if those Flesh-Eating Golden Beasts are connected to you…"

Here, Hearing Ku Lu shook his head and sneered at himself: "That's probably impossible."

"So, can you tell me now?" Ding Huan asked.

Hearing Ku Lu sighed helplessly: "You know what I'm worried about—and yet you say you'll solve my problem…"

His words cut off abruptly as he stared, stunned, at the yellow soul tablet in Ding Huan's hand.

Several breaths passed before he trembled and whispered: "Is this… my soul tablet?"

Ding Huan casually tossed the soul tablet to Hearing Ku Lu: "Check it yourself."

Hearing Ku Lu grabbed the tablet in excitement—he had never imagined Ding Huan would simply throw it to him.

With this soul tablet, Ding Huan could have coerced him into doing anything.

Hearing Ku Lu immediately slammed a strand of his soul into his own body, then let out a long, relieved breath.

The unshakable unease since the Sword Young Master's death vanished at last.

His soul tablet was different from everyone else's. Everyone else's soul tablet was a wisp of soul sense, but his soul tablet was a solid strand of soul.

This strand of soul had not fused with his own soul, so he had always been controlled by others, unable to advance to a higher level, and as for escape, that would be certain death.

The reason he escaped was because whether he escaped or not, he was dead either way.

By escaping, he could still find a quiet place and end things in his own way.

Now he no longer needed to, because that wisp of his soul had already been brought by Ding Huan.

After fusing with the soul tablet, Hearing Ku Lu's whole being radiated ease. He bowed to Ding Huan: "Many thanks, Daoist Zhang. Daoist Zhang is upright and aboveboard; I, Hearing Ku Lu, have learned a great lesson.

If Daoist Zhang has any doubts, please ask. As long as it's something I, Hearing Ku Lu, know, I absolutely won't hide a single word."

"Good." Ding Huan was very satisfied and immediately asked: "Daoist Hearing Ku Lu, I'd like to ask—what exactly is the background of your so-called Young Sword Master?"

Hearing Ku Lu's face grew grave: "His name is Wu Jian, and his father is Wu Wudu. Wu Wudu is one of the Heavenly Court's Ten Star Lords—the Du Yue Star Lord. His power is overwhelming; one could say that for Wu Wudu, crushing us to death is even easier than crushing an ant."

After saying this, Hearing Ku Lu, worried Ding Huan didn't understand, added another sentence:

"Third Brother Zhang, let me say something from the heart. While Du Yue Star Lord Wu Wudu hasn't come here yet, both you and I need to leave the Gu Gu Xian domain quickly, or we'll die without even knowing how we died."

"Where do you plan to go?" When Ding Huan heard Ye Mei'er talk about the might of the Heavenly Court's big shots, he already knew he couldn't stay here either.

Hearing Ku Lu gazed into the distance: "I plan to go to the Chaos Zone. If Third Brother Zhang goes with me, I'm willing to take you there. We probably still have two or three months; after two or three months, we'll be in even greater danger."

"What do you mean?" Ding Huan didn't understand.

Hearing Ku Lu said: "Du Yue Star Lord is currently representing the Immortal Court in negotiations with the Demon Court—it's about the dispute between the two realms. With something like this, he absolutely can't get away. Even if his son died, he'd have to wait until this matter is over before coming after us."

"What is Du Yue Star Lord's cultivation?"

"Immortal Emperor." Hearing Ku Lu took a deep breath and slowly uttered two words.

Ding Huan also furrowed his brow. He was only a Jin Xian, while the other was an Immortal Emperor—no need to fight; one breath from the other and he'd be dead.

"Now tell me why that Wu Jian was looking for the ten of us? If it wasn't to escort treasures to the Immortal Court, then what was it for?"

"It was for the Treasure-Dividing Cliff ruins." Hearing Ku Lu said.

"The Treasure-Dividing Cliff ruins will be here? Isn't it in the Nine Heavens?"

Ding Huan was somewhat skeptical, for he knew that the Treasure-Dividing Cliff was the Dao Ancestor's treasure, and in the end, it was here that he distributed dharma treasures to his many disciples.

According to this statement, the Treasure-Dividing Cliff couldn't possibly be in the Pangu Great World.

"The fact that you can ask this question shows you know quite a bit." Hearing Ku Lu looked at Ding Huan with some surprise and said a sentence.

Ding Huan could only say: "I also heard it from here and there."

Hearing Ku Lu nodded, then asked Ding Huan in return: "Third Brother Zhang, do you know how the Pangu Great World came to be?"

Ding Huan cupped his fists, his tone sincere: "Please enlighten me."

Hearing Ku Lu said: "Legend has it that the predecessor of the Pangu Great World was a Chaotic World. When this Chaotic World split apart, the first life was born—that was Pangu…"

"Isn't it said that Pangu cleaved open the Chaotic World?" Ding Huan immediately asked.

Hearing Ku Lu glanced at Ding Huan: "What are you thinking? You just got born and you can cleave open the Chaotic World? But the opening of the Chaotic World does indeed have something to do with Pangu—he put in the effort…

Forget it, I'll pick out the important parts. After the Chaotic World was cleaved open, it split into three parts. One part is called the Nine Heavens, one part is our current Pangu Great World, and the last part vanished into the void, its whereabouts unknown…"

"Nine Heavens?" Ding Huan suddenly felt that what he had been searching for had some clue. Wasn't the Nine Heavens a presence from the myths and legends of Huaxia?

"After the Chaos split apart, the first life and various beings to be born and awaken all chose the Nine Heavens. Because the Nine Heavens had clear Heaven and Earth Dao Rhymes, complete rules, and the richest concentration of Immortal Spiritual Qi.

As for the Pangu Great World, no one cared for it. The Pangu Great World was filled with slaughter everywhere, its Dao Rhymes mottled, a scene of utter chaos, hehe…"

Hearing Ku Lu let out a hehe at this point, looked at Ding Huan and said: "I bet they never imagined that the Nine Heavens would collapse, while the Pangu Great World would be the eternal existence."

"Then why did the Treasure-Dividing Cliff appear in the Pangu Great World?" Ding Huan inquired.

Hearing Ku Lu had not explained this matter earlier.

(Good night, fellow Daoists, requesting monthly ticket support!)