Chapter 29: Is this okay?

Li Zhangsheng heard the Netherworld Emperor's voice and felt a bit strange, "Huh? You've been eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Netherworld Emperor's voice continued, "Hehe, Sect Master senior, you guys aren't soundproof when you talk."

"I just happened to overhear your conversation; I wasn't intentionally eavesdropping!"

Beside him, Xiao Jue heard a voice coming from somewhere unknown, also feeling curious, he looked around, "Huh? Who's speaking?"

Liu Yiming also looked around, "This voice sounds like the Netherworld Emperor; is he still alive?"

Liu Yiming looked at Li Zhangsheng; he was very clear about Li Zhangsheng's methods!

Generally, any sect that lets him come over for service ends up pretty badly!

Lightly it's half a sect exterminated; severely it's total extermination.

So Liu Yiming was a bit puzzled.

"Sect Master, didn't you just go to the Netherworld Emperor Sect? How is the Netherworld Emperor still alive?!"

Li Zhangsheng, however, said to the empty air, "Come over and speak."

As Li Zhangsheng's words fell, a figure suddenly appeared outside the pavilion—it was the Netherworld Emperor.

Earlier he was sitting bored at the gate, his divine sense wandering randomly inside the Longevity Sect.

It just so happened that he wandered to the rear mountain, overheard Li Zhangsheng and them talking about looking for someone, so he curiously spoke up.

"Senior." As soon as the Netherworld Emperor appeared, he bowed respectfully to Li Zhangsheng.

"Do you have a means to find someone out of thin air?" Li Zhangsheng asked, looking at the Netherworld Emperor.

Since the Netherworld Emperor just chimed in, he's probably not just bored out of his mind.

The Netherworld Emperor nodded, smiled, and said, "I indeed have a method to find someone out of thin air."

Upon hearing the Netherworld Emperor's words, Liu Yiming's previously despondent expression instantly brightened, "Netherworld Emperor, do you really have a way to help me find someone?"

The Netherworld Emperor glanced at Liu Yiming.

"Who said I'm helping you? I just want to show off in front of the senior, okay?"

"Of course, the Netherworld Emperor didn't say that out loud."

Since learning Li Zhangsheng's true identity, the Netherworld Emperor actually felt inexplicably excited inside.

The founding ancestor of the Longevity Sect is, legend says, the teacher of the seven Ascended Emperors.

That's a big shot.

Moreover, the Netherworld Emperor has already witnessed Li Zhangsheng's terror.

Honestly, having the chance to follow such an existence, the Netherworld Emperor still feels somewhat fortunate.

If he can perform well in front of him, maybe an opportunity will come!

The reason the Netherworld Emperor just spoke up was also because of this idea.

"Tell me, what method do you have to find someone out of thin air?" Li Zhangsheng sat in a rattan chair, took a sip of tea, and asked lightly.

"Senior, I once obtained a treasure." As the Netherworld Emperor spoke, he took out a compass from his spatial ring and smiled.

"This is that compass; this compass is called the Heavenly Secrets Compass, as the name suggests, it can deduce heavenly secrets."

"This is a treasure I obtained while adventuring in the Realm Sea back then, comes with an ancient book, and counts as one of my prized possessions."

"As long as I get to the crime scene and extract some clues, I can infer the approximate location of the perpetrators."

Li Zhangsheng, Liu Yiming, and Xiao Jue all simultaneously looked at the compass in the Netherworld Emperor's hand.

That compass looks heavily aged, its needle covered in rust spots!!

Li Zhangsheng frowned slightly, "This compass looks like expired goods; is it reliable?"

The Netherworld Emperor patted his chest, "Don't worry, senior, though this compass looks a bit battered, it's not sloppy when used."

"I've used it before to track a few people, and it's still pretty effective!"

"Alright." Li Zhangsheng nodded.

Mainly, there's no better option now, so we can only choose to trust the Netherworld Emperor.

Li Zhangsheng stood up, then walked out of the pavilion, "Let's go to the Willowcloud Sect to see if we can extract some clues."

Liu Yiming is now, after all, a member of the Longevity Sect, and this kid also happens to suit Li Zhangsheng's taste.

His family had an accident; Li Zhangsheng naturally wouldn't stand by idly, lending a hand is no problem.

Next, Li Zhangsheng brought the Netherworld Emperor, Xiao Jue, and Liu Yiming, and they instantaneously moved inside the Willowcloud Sect!!

"It's really empty, not a single person." Xiao Jue gazed at the vast Willowcloud Sect with no one around and muttered.

Several people landed on the Willowcloud Sect's square, Li Zhangsheng said to the Netherworld Emperor, "See if you can use that thing in your hand to capture some clues."

The Netherworld Emperor nodded, holding the compass in one hand, walking across the square like a geomancer, eyes closed, seemingly sensing something, murmuring incantations, pointing it here and there.

Xiao Jue and Liu Yiming also followed beside the Netherworld Emperor, curiously watching the compass in his hand to see if there was any reaction.

After a moment, the Netherworld Emperor's brows tightened, he opened his eyes, somewhat doubtful, "I didn't sense anything at all—shouldn't there be something?"

The Netherworld Emperor looked at Liu Yiming, "Does your Willowcloud Sect usually have no one in the square?"

Liu Yiming replied, "The square usually has disciples training."

At this moment, Li Zhangsheng also walked over, looking at the Netherworld Emperor's compass, "Are you sure this thing is reliable?"

The Netherworld Emperor furrowed his brows, puzzled, "There shouldn't be no trace at all, right?"

"Not sensing any clues at all means only one thing: the other side deliberately concealed the heavenly secrets."

"The Cloud Emperor captures people mainly for sacrifice; such shameful deeds naturally need covering up, otherwise if discovered, wouldn't everyone be shouting to beat them?"

Li Zhangsheng understood, then added, "If the other side is deliberately hiding the heavenly secrets, can your compass still work?"

"Yes." The Netherworld Emperor nodded hesitantly, gritted his teeth, "Damn, looks like we have to use the ultimate move."

Saying that, the Netherworld Emperor bit his finger, dropped a drop of blood onto the compass, and chanted the incantation.

Instantly, the compass seemed to be nourished, emitting layers of red halo.

The halo surged outward, like an enlarged bubble; a moment later it enveloped the entire Liu Yun Sect.

In an instant, the whole Liu Yun Sect seemed to fall into a bizarre blood‑colored realm.

Xiao Jue and Liu Yiming watched the commotion caused by the Ming Emperor and couldn't help but be slightly surprised.

The disturbance is so great; this should be enough now, right?

Wow!

Yet in the next instant, the Ming Emperor suddenly coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and let out a wail.

"Hmm?" Li Zhangsheng looked toward the Ming Emperor.

He saw that the Ming Emperor's eyes were now streaming two lines of blood, he was gulping air heavily, half‑kneeling on the ground.

Clearly, he had suffered a considerable backlash.

"Ming… Lord Ming Emperor, are you… okay?" Liu Yiming asked anxiously, his gaze wavering.

"Senior, the opponent has a powerful Heavenly Mechanism Veil; with my current mastery of the Heavenly Mechanism Technique, I cannot break it," the Ming Emperor sighed, secretly startled.

If even I cannot pierce it, the one wielding the Heavenly Mechanism must be far stronger than me.

Could it be that I've truly become weak?

The Ming Emperor once again doubted his own strength!

Even in front of Li Zhangsheng, he admitted he was powerless!

How can even using the Heavenly Mechanism Technique be trampled upon?

I'm also an Emperor Realm; when did I become this weak?!

Hearing the Ming Emperor's words, Liu Yiming's expression darkened again.

The only way to locate people failed; could the Liu Yun Sect truly be unable to escape this calamity?

At that moment, Li Zhangsheng walked to the Ming Emperor's side and lightly tapped his finger at him.

Of course, this point wasn't a lethal point, but a healing point!!

After all, having lived a hundred thousand years, Li Zhangsheng had, in his boredom, learned some healing arts.

With Li Zhangsheng's tap, the Ming Emperor's condition instantly refreshed!

The Ming Emperor felt his severely wounded body instantly restored, and, surprised, he stood and thanked Li Zhangsheng: "Thank you, senior."

"Just a trivial effort," Li Zhangsheng said, eyeing the compass in the Ming Emperor's hand. "Why don't you give me its instruction manual so I can try it?"

Seeing the Ming Emperor struggle with the compass, Li Zhangsheng formed his own plan.

The Ming Emperor hesitated briefly, then took an archaic beast‑skin from his talisman and handed it to Li Zhangsheng,

"Senior, your abilities are boundless; I suppose learning this Heavenly Mechanism Technique shouldn't be a problem."

"However, the Heavenly Mechanism Technique is quite difficult; I spent several hundred years just to barely enter the basics."

"If you start learning now, Senior, I don't know whether the time will be sufficient."

Thinking it over, the Ming Emperor concluded that with Li Zhangsheng's skill, learning the Heavenly Mechanism Technique should pose no problem.

After all, he is the founding patriarch of the Immortal Longevity Sect.

Nevertheless, the technique's difficulty is extreme; learning it does require some time, doesn't it?

By the time Li Zhangsheng masters the technique, no one knows whether the Liu Yun Sect members will still be there.

Li Zhangsheng took the seemingly archaic beast‑skin.

The top bore the bold characters "Great Profound Heavenly Mechanism Technique," the name recorded on this beast‑skin!

Below those characters were cryptic script detailing the compass's usage.

Li Zhangsheng carefully read through the contents of the Great Profound Heavenly Mechanism Technique.

"So that's it; it doesn't look hard at all."

After reading it, Li Zhangsheng felt the Great Profound Heavenly Mechanism Technique was like a primary‑school math problem.

Hmm… a quick calculation gives the answer right away.

Li Zhangsheng returned the beast‑skin to the Ming Emperor.

"Senior, you don't intend to learn this technique?" the Ming Emperor asked, puzzled.

"I've already mastered it," Li Zhangsheng replied.

"Huh?" the Ming Emperor blurted, bewildered, "Learned… mastered?!"

After centuries of contemplation just to barely enter, and he grasped it at a glance?

Is this for real?

The Ming Emperor spread the beast‑skin, examined it closely, and muttered, "Is the Heavenly Mechanism Technique really that simple?"

"Let me see that compass of yours," Li Zhangsheng added.

"Oh, okay!" the Ming Emperor hurriedly handed the compass to Li Zhangsheng.

Beside them, Liu Yiming's eyes instantly brightened upon hearing that Li Zhangsheng had already mastered the Heavenly Mechanism Technique.

He knew well how reliable Li Zhangsheng was and never exaggerated!

It seems the Liu Yun Sect's fate should not be sealed!

Li Zhangsheng took the Ming Emperor's compass, held it in his hand, and recited a mantra.

Buzz!

Immediately, the compass projected streams of light and shadow, forming successive images!

It was like a surveillance feed, displaying the Liu Yun Sect's plight.

And it was in color!

In the footage, a bizarre man in a red robe suddenly appeared above the Liu Yun Sect.

The bizarre man was, of course, the Cloud Emperor.

"Surely it's him." Looking at the Cloud Emperor in the image, Liu Yiming's heart clenched.

Before it was just speculation, now we can be certain!

The image continued to unfold, as the Cloud Emperor appeared above the Liu Yun Sect and then produced a cauldron.

This cauldron gradually expanded, and in an instant it enveloped the entire sky above the Liu Yun Sect.

The mouth of the cauldron burst forth with a powerful suction force, sucking everyone inside the Liu Yun Sect into it.

The dense crowd of people had no power to resist at all, drifting into the cauldron like leaves.

The last person to drift in was an elder, who struggled slightly, but it was in vain, and he floated lightly inside!

This is the Liu Yun Sect's Elder Ancestor, a mid-stage Quasi-Emperor, yet before that cauldron he had no power to resist!

The whole process took no more than a minute, and over fifty thousand people from the Liu Yun Sect were all taken away, clean and swift!!

After the cauldron finished sucking in everyone, it gradually shrank back to normal size and fell into the Cloud Emperor's hand!

Only then did the Cloud Emperor, satisfied, take that cauldron and leave through the northern spatial passage.

After seeing this scene, the Nether Emperor's eyes almost popped out, he exclaimed in utter shock: "This is possible?!"

The Nether Emperor himself had also comprehended the Supreme Profound Heavenly Secrets Technique, so he naturally knew how using that technique together with a compass works!

In the past, when he used the Supreme Profound Heavenly Secrets Technique together with a compass to deduce heavenly secrets, there were also images.

However, that image was not like Li Zhangsheng's, which is played out; rather, it appeared in his mind.

This is also why, when he previously used the compass to recite the mantra, he had to close his eyes—to fully focus on capturing those image fragments.

Moreover, when he previously used the heavenly secrets technique, the images appearing in his mind were very blurry.

Sometimes there was only a single fragment, which needed to be pieced together one by one.

Furthermore, those images in his mind were not moving; they were grayish-white frames played one by one, very slowly.

Therefore, when he activated the heavenly secrets technique, it consumed a great deal of his divine sense, making it very strenuous.

If a powerful person obscures the heavenly secrets, the pieced-together image will shatter, thereby backlashing his divine sense—just like the earlier scene of his eyes bleeding!!

Of course, the Nether Emperor was also encountering for the first time someone stronger than himself obscuring the heavenly secrets, and it was also the first time his eyes bled!

Whereas Li Zhangsheng, in a situation where someone obscures the heavenly secrets, so effortlessly and leisurely presents the image!

Moreover, it is a colorful, smooth image, which makes the Nether Emperor unable not to be astonished!

Defying heaven!

Too defying of heaven!

Is this what a big shot is like? The heavenly secrets technique is understandable at a glance!!

"Well, that really blinded my dog eyes, I gained a huge boost in knowledge!" the Nether Emperor smacked his lips.

The image hadn't ended yet; in the image, the Cloud Emperor, carrying the cauldron, traversed the void to a sect in the north of Azure Province's Wasteland Province, called the Setting Sun Sect.

The Cloud Emperor descended upon a hall of the Setting Sun Sect; inside the hall there was an underground passage leading to an underground space.

That underground space was huge, as if it had hollowed out the entire area beneath the Setting Sun Sect!

Upon arriving at that underground space, there was a huge pit, inside which already many people were present—obviously those the Cloud Emperor had previously captured!

The Cloud Emperor came to the mouth of that pit, aimed the mouth of his cauldron downward, and the people of the Liu Yun Sect were dumped out one by one!!

The image ends here.

Li Zhangsheng satisfiedly put away the compass, "Hmm, this thing is still quite handy!"