Chapter 182

"Let's go scout tonight and see if the Imperial Ancestor has any situation." Yan Shan Hai proposed, he must ensure absolute safety, "He was seriously injured today; he will surely take advantage of the night to heal his wounds. After entering meditation, his divine sense will weaken. As long as we pay attention, we probably won't be discovered."

"Good." Everyone agreed. They just didn't know where the Imperial Ancestor was.

Yan Shan Hai smiled and said to everyone, "I just secretly released tracking incense; just follow it and you can find the Imperial Ancestor." After saying that, Yan Shan Hai opened his palm, and a very small flying insect flew out from his hand, quickly flying out of the main palace hall.

"Who wants to follow?" Yan Shan Hai asked.

"Me." Chen Yi He stepped forward.

"I'll go too." Hong Liang also said.

"Alright, then you two go ahead. Remember, be sure to stay safe! The Imperial Ancestor is meticulous, not an ordinary person." Yan Shan Hai reminded Chen Yi He and Hong Liang, then he said to the remaining others, "Let's go to the West Factory, gather the brothers, and count casualties."

"Let's go." Chen Yi He rushed out first.

Hong Liang quickly followed.

The tiny flying insect fluttered with its pair of transparent wings, exerting all its strength as it flew deeper into the palace. It flew slowly and leisurely, paying no heed to the two anxious strangers behind it.

The palace was huge; Chen Yi He found himself inside, following the tiny flying insect, borrowing the moonlight to admire the beautiful scenery within the palace, the gentle sound of flowing water clear and pleasant.

"Why isn't it here yet?" Chen Yi He asked, not even knowing himself whether he was asking the tiny flying insect or Hong Liang.

Hong Liang had a grim face and said nothing; from beginning to end, Chen Yi He didn't know his character, but he was clearly a gloomy person.

Along the way, Chen Yi He remained nervous, not knowing how to proceed ahead. He was merely a lowly Fourth Heaven cultivator.

The cultivation of the Fourth Heaven, which had been his aspiration for months, turned out, upon reaching it, to be far from the true high heavens—the Seventh Heaven, which is a full three heavens above him, and the difference between them is not as simple as the number three.

Hong Liang likewise kept his head down, silent, looking deep in thought.

As they thought, more than half the time passed.

The tiny flying insect flew for a full half an hour before stopping; before it stood a tower-like pavilion, in the darkness its number of stories indiscernible.

Chen Yi He stood beneath this pavilion, sensing an ancient and mysterious aura emanating from above, though this aura did not include the Imperial Ancestor's true qi. According to his feeling, the Imperial Ancestor should not be here, yet the tiny flying insect had led them to this place.

"This should be the palace's Scripture Pavilion." Hong Liang suddenly said.

"Scripture Pavilion?" In Chen Yi He's mind, any prominent clan or wealthy family has a Scripture Pavilion; the last time he visited such a place was the Scripture Pavilion of the Xiao Family Castle, also a pavilion, where he would sneak in at night to study martial arts and internal cultivation methods.

The palace's Scripture Pavilion naturally cannot be compared to other places; just looking at the pavilion's scale, it is at least seven or eight times larger than the Xiao Family Castle's, let alone compared to other Scripture Pavilions.

Chen Yi He thought, there must be many precious martial arts manuals and skill treasures inside. Too bad, he was here to find a person.

Upon gently pushing the door open, Chen Yi He and Hong Liang discovered they had underestimated this pavilion; not only does it appear tall and wide, but its internal structure is even larger than its outward appearance!

Row upon row of bookshelves, tightly packed, the books emitted a faint, musty scent of paper.

The bookshelves are very tall; without jumping, one cannot reach the books on the topmost shelf.

The gaps between the bookshelves are large, with many corners, and this pavilion has no lighting inside,

"When will we find it?" Chen Yi He whispered to Hong Liang.

"Let's split up to search." Hong Liang likewise lowered his voice to Chen Yi He.

"Good." That suited Chen Yi He just fine.

Hong Liang went east, Chen Yi He west; they agreed to search floor by floor, and if they found something, not to signal, to meet promptly at the base of the Scripture Pavilion after two hours. In case of special circumstances, they must not linger.

Chen Yi He carefully searched along the bookshelves; he didn't see the Imperial Ancestor's figure, but he spotted many martial arts manuals: "Hu Clan Broad Sword," "Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Palm," "Southern Yue Heart Method," "Heavenly Dragon Fist," "One Sword Method," and so on.

Chen Yi He took out his iPhone 7, turned on the flash, and began photographing these martial arts manuals. While taking pictures, he used his body to block the flashing light. He didn't care about quality, just snapped them all: "click click click……"

He photographed all the way up to the third floor, yet still didn't find the Imperial Ancestor. Once, Chen Yi He nearly bumped into Hong Liang. Hong Liang's hurried silhouette flickered among the shelves, then vanished quickly. Chen Yi He let out a deep sigh.

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Yi He drew ever closer to the top floor.

"Classic of Longevity……" Chen Yi He suddenly saw a red wooden box placed in a corner of the bookshelf on the highest shelf.

Chen Yi He was drawn to the red wooden box; he leapt high, took it down, then gently opened it, revealing a pale-yellow ancient book with the three large characters "Classic of Longevity" on the cover. The title attracted Chen Yi He; he took the Classic of Longevity out of the box—it was a thin parchment, with a fine texture.

"What sect's divine art is this? No matter what, let's learn it first."

At that moment, a black shadow swept past beside Chen Yi He, like a gust of wind.

Chen Yi He warily scanned the surroundings; everything was pitch black, and it was not Hong Liang.

"Sect Master Hong? Imperial Ancestor?" Chen Yi He tentatively asked.

He received no reply.

"Show yourself if you have the guts. Sneaking around, what's that?"

"Hehe, kid, you're quite capable, finding your way here." The Imperial Ancestor's voice sounded from behind Chen Yi He.

Chen Yi He's heart turned cold, dropping below freezing. His body stiffened to the point he couldn't even turn around. "You… how… are… you… here…"

"That's a question I should be asking you." The Imperial Ancestor said to Chen Yi He.

"Who's over there?" Hong Liang's voice also rang out, though his voice was far away. In such darkness, Chen Yi He couldn't see him, nor could he see Chen Yi He.

With a "whoosh," the Imperial Ancestor vanished, leaving behind a faint afterimage that dissipated in the air.