Chapter 328: The Holy Sect Remains the Holy Sect

In the Profound Spirit Realm, within the Lingxiao Hall.

The man in splendid robes' expression shifted slightly; he immediately issued an order to strike the great bell. Within moments, streams of escape light arrived one after another at the Lingxiao Hall.

These were all the high-ranking officials of the Heavenly Court.

They were all Earth Immortals, and there were exactly nine of them present, their spiritual energy at its peak. If placed in Jiangnan or Jiangbei, they would be Great True Persons at the late stage of Foundation Establishment!

"We pay our respects to the Celestial Official!"

The nine Earth Immortals bowed in unison. In the entire Heavenly Court, only the Three Celestial Officials possessed the cultivation of a Heaven Immortal; now that the Celestial Official had returned, the other two positions remained vacant.

"Shen Jin has changed hands."

The man in splendid robes did not delay, stating directly: "The subordinate we developed previously, Qi He, is likely already exposed. The original plan must also be revised."

Upon hearing this, the Earth Immortals were instantly shocked: "Celestial Official..."

"No need to say more." The man in splendid robes waved his hand, looking very resolute: "My mind is made up. If we delay any further, the enemy will likely attack!"

The cultivators of the Profound Spirit Realm are by no means fools.

Especially those proficient in the method of crossing realms, they possess very rich experience in invading other realms and clearly understand what can be done and what cannot.

Therefore, long ago, the Profound Spirit Realm discovered the existence of the Ten Thousand Graves Pit but did not make a scene; instead, they quietly infiltrated, developed subordinates, and gathered intelligence on Jiangnan and Jiangbei. As a result, they were shocked by what they found: what kind of place are these so-called Jiangnan and Jiangbei?

A full thirty fruit positions!?

Just this single piece of news caused the Profound Spirit Realm to completely abandon the idea of invasion, changing their plan to plundering, emphasizing a strategy of grab and run.

And Shen Jin was one of the resources they valued most.

"Act ahead of schedule; I will lead the team personally."

"Execute Yu Shao and seize Shen Jin!"

The man in splendid robes spoke in a deep voice: "Do not worry. For this mission, I have already petitioned the Supreme One. The Supreme One will personally intervene to cover for us, preventing any accidents."

Hearing this, the Earth Immortals could only withdraw helplessly.

'The Celestial Official is too hasty!'

'It is hardly surprising. The impact of Yu Shao's betrayal is too great. If the enemy also has a Supreme One, they could simply follow the clues to find our location using him...'

'On the contrary, Shen Jin... the Celestial Official's attention on it is a bit excessive.'

'Could the rumors be true? The Supreme One ascended hastily, and their realm is actually unstable, requiring otherworldly Qi to nourish the Heavenly Court and secure the Supreme One's position?'

'Shh! Speak carefully!'

Despite having many doubts in their hearts, the group of Earth Immortals did not dare to slacken, immediately beginning their preparations.

Lu Yang was naturally unaware of the changes in the Profound Spirit Realm.

At this moment, he was inside a great hall deep within the Ten Thousand Graves Pit. After all, the magical duel with True Person Qi He was an unexpected situation that could not possibly be concealed.

However, what surprised him somewhat was that the person in charge of guarding the Ten Thousand Graves Pit for the Holy Sect was actually an acquaintance. In his previous life, they had met once overseas; his name was Jun Tong, a Great True Person under the seat of the True Lord of Brocaded Silks, and with time, he too would have the hope of reaching the Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment.

"You are Duanmu Yuan Tu?"

Seated at the head of the hall, Jun Tong looked calm, smiling faintly as he said: "Although Master Chongguang mentioned you to me, he did not tell me you were so bold."

"To attack a True Person of the Holy Sect within the Ten Thousand Graves Pit?"

"What Holy Sect True Person? This person has long been colluding with the Profound Spirit Realm."

Lu Yang smiled calmly, directly tossing the dying True Person Qi He onto the ground, and then extracted the intelligence Chen Xinan had squeezed out of him.

Jun Tong initially did not care, until he saw the intelligence in Lu Yang's hand, along with the bizarre appearance of True Person Qi He, who looked old yet possessed a seductive, eerie quality.

"... Ho!"

As a True Person of the Holy Sect, and a Great True Person at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, Jun Tong's experience was very rich. He saw at a glance that True Person Qi He had been struck by the Heavenly Mother Transforming Life Profound Light. With a slight connection of thoughts, he immediately guessed how Lu Yang had obtained this intelligence from the opponent.

In an instant, his expression became much more solemn.

'What a ruthless person!'

Ruthless to others, and even more ruthless to oneself; such a True Person of the Holy Sect is not easy to deal with, let alone, according to Master Chongguang's account, this person has a considerable background.

Suspected to have a True Lord behind them as well?

Thinking of this, Jun Tong glanced once more at the intelligence in his hand, put it away without changing his expression, and then looked at Lu Yang: "Friend, your contribution this time is significant."

"Why not stay in the Ten Thousand Graves Pit? Let me extend my hospitality as a host."

"No need."

Lu Yang shook his head: "I am currently undercover in the Yushu Jiange. My identity should not be exposed. Although this is not my true body, the risk of leaving it here is still too great."

"Then let it be."

Jun Tong went with the flow, did not press further, and watched as Lu Yang turned and left.

Moments later, a figure emerged from the rear hall, his expression gloomy. Seeing this, Jun Tong smiled and asked: "How is it? Does Friend Chen recognize this person?"

"I do not recognize him."

If Lu Yang were still here, he would certainly recognize this figure instantly; it was none other than his former arch-enemy, the Peak Master of the Heaven-Repairing Peak, Chen Taihe!

However, this Peak Master of the Heaven-Repairing Peak was not in a good mood at the moment. His gaze was gloomy, and he pondered in his heart: 'The magical techniques and means this person used to kill Qi He seem to be those of the Lord of War and the Stubborn Metal Lord? Such a configuration of techniques... Could it be that, like me, he is seeking the position of the Pomegranate Wood?'

Thinking of this, his eyes became even more sinister.

The reason he came here was because Master Chongguang had issued an order, specifically asking him to come and identify a "Holy Sect True Person who is unwilling to reveal his name."

The result was that he failed to identify the person, but instead discovered a Dao-rival.

"Truly cannot recognize him?"

Jun Tong asked curiously: "This person's attainment in the Heaven-Repairing True Scripture is astonishing, and his thinking is flexible. The Heavenly Mother Transforming Life Profound Light even has such wonderful applications."

"Indeed, I cannot recognize him."

The Peak Master of the Heaven-Repairing Peak shook his head, then suddenly lowered his tone: "However, this person is sneaky. If he is unwilling to reveal his identity, his motives are likely impure."

"He claims to be devoted to the Holy Sect, but he might have truly betrayed it."

"My lord should have kept him just now."

In response to the suggestion from the Master of Senior Butian Peak, Jun Tong casually waved his hand: "No need. If this man really stays, I'll be the one with headaches."

"Oh?"

Facing the Master of Senior Butian Peak's confusion, Jun Tong remained calm: "I cannot deny that Qi He was extremely careful—no one discovered him beforehand."

"But since Master Chongguang warned me three years ago, I personally conducted a thorough investigation."

"If I still couldn't uncover Qi He's betrayal and his secret ties with the outside, I'd be utterly unfit for my post—wasn't that other realm called 【Xuan Ling Realm】?"

Here, Jun Tong gave a cold smile: "The Yushu Jiange attacked Ten Thousand Graves precisely for this 【Xuan Ling Realm】. Coincidentally, the 【Shen Jin】 in Qi He's possession has already been tampered with by the 【Xuan Ling Realm】. Now that Duanmu Yuan Tu has seized it, they certainly won't let this go."

"So his departure from Ten Thousand Graves suits me perfectly."

"As long as he remains in Jiangnan, once the 【Xuan Ling Realm】 traces the mark and finds him, the damage will be done to Jiangnan—and then it'll be the Yushu Jiange's headache."

"Better yet, let the Yushu Jiange and the 【Xuan Ling Realm】 fight each other."

"Let them tear each other apart while we rest and wait. While the 【Xuan Ling Realm】 is internally vulnerable, we strike straight in, harvest vast Qi, and reap a great advantage!"

When the heron and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits!

"Wait—no!"

After leaving Ten Thousand Graves, Lu Yang suddenly snapped alert, frowning: "Jun Tong… was far too casual. He just let me go like that?"

Qi He True Person colluded with the 【Xuan Ling Realm】.

This information was highly significant, yet Jun Tong showed no intention of verifying it—he simply accepted it outright. Is my credibility really that high?

Or is it…

'Did he already know?'

Lu Yang pondered. He always assumed the worst about enemies and never treated a Sacred Sect True Person as a fool—especially not a Great True Person of a Sacred Sect.

So he preferred to consider the most monstrous possibility.

Shoot first, then draw the target!

'If he already knew about Qi He's ties with the 【Xuan Ling Realm】, then the mark on the 【Shen Jin】 couldn't possibly have escaped his notice.'

'Yet he didn't warn me.'

'Not warning me means he has ill intentions toward me!'

Thinking of this, Lu Yang couldn't help but sigh—Sacred Sects were still Sacred Sects…

'... Diverting the calamity waters eastward?'

(End of Chapter)