Chapter 761

Yan Buji felt a jolt in his heart, never expecting that the Precious Light Ore concealed such a precious treasure. He pondered for a moment and asked, "So what do you intend to do?"

Tu Nuo Duo gave a wry smile and said, "I've already been marked by them; it's unlikely I'll be able to return to the demon tribe settlement. Moreover, once the news of Time Sand spreads, it will probably bring even more trouble."

Yan Buji nodded, already having a scheme in mind.

In theory, Yan Buji had full opportunity to use his authority for personal gain, which would be equivalent to not informing the Sect and handling the matter secretly himself.

But knowing the Sect Master's methods, Yan Buji extinguished that thought, after all he didn't know how many were watching him.

"Let's go back first; this matter needs to be discussed at length," Yan Buji said.

Tu Nuo Duo nodded, and the two returned together to Luohuang Zhou's Royal City.

After returning to the Royal City, Yan Buji first settled Tu Nuo Duo, then went back to the Sect Mining Area to give Wu Yuan a detailed report of what had happened. Wu Yuan, after listening, wore a grave expression and said, "Time Sand… I never expected the Precious Light Ore to hide such a treasure. This matter must be reported to the Sect Master immediately, for his decision."

Yan Buji nodded in agreement, yet felt a vague unease. He knew the emergence of Time Sand would inevitably spark a massive upheaval, and as a participant, he would find it hard to stay out of it.

"It seems my seclusion plan will be delayed again," Yan Buji sighed.

Wu Yuan promptly reported the news of Time Sand to the Sect Master. The Sect Master took the matter very seriously, convening the Sect's senior leadership for discussion. As a direct participant, Yan Buji wrote a detailed letter about the incident and sent it back to the Sect.

At the meeting, He Yun, with a solemn expression, said, "Time Sand is a legendary treasure that can manipulate time and even glimpse the future. If it falls into the hands of those with ill intent, the consequences are unimaginable. We must act swiftly to ensure Time Sand is not seized by others."

An Elder frowned and said, "Sect Master, once the news of Time Sand spreads, it will likely attract the scramble of major forces. Though our Sect is not weak, if we become enemies of the entire cultivation world, it may be hard to cope."

He Yun nodded, "Indeed. Therefore we must act covertly, minimizing external attention. Since Elder Yuan and others have uncovered this, they will be in charge of the operation."

The surrounding Elders nodded and said, "Sect Master, this matter is of great importance; should we dispatch more people there?"

He Yun thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "Since the stakes are high, the more people we send, the easier it is to expose ourselves. I trust Elder Yuan and his team can handle this well!"

After the meeting ended, the Sect's orders soon returned.

Yuan Zhen found the Elders and Yan Buji, who were involved in the matter, and said, "The Sect's directive is clear: we must investigate how this Time Sand actually originated!"

Yan Buji asked in confusion, "Wasn't it said to have been discovered in the Precious Light Ore?"

Yuan Zhen smiled lightly, "It's not that simple. There is no Time Sand inside the Precious Light Ore at all. Since the news came from a demon tribe cultivator, it's highly probable the demon tribe discovered some secret method to forge Time Sand using the Precious Light Ore!"

Yan Buji suddenly understood, "So that's it!"

"The most critical question now is the origin of this incident… and the background of those cultivators," Yuan Zhen said.

Yan Buji thought for a moment, "Elder Yuan, I will first go and make contact with Tu Nuo Duo."

"Understood."

Yan Buji arrived at the Royal City and found Tu Nuo Duo, who was recuperating from injuries.

"Yan Buji, you're here," Tu Nuo Duo said happily, looking at him.

Yan Buji nodded and smiled, "Has your wound improved?"

"Much better," Tu Nuo Duo smiled, "Thank you for your concern."

"No problem. I'm also here to ask you, where did you discover the Time Sand?" Yan Buji asked directly.

Even though she might not give a straightforward answer, Yan Buji had no good way to coax words out of her, so it was better to ask directly.

Tu Nuo Duo fell silent for a moment, then said, "You might not believe it, but the Time Sand was truly found in an abandoned Precious Light Ore cave!"

Yan Buji raised an eyebrow, recalling Yuan Zhen's words: "What was the prior history of that abandoned cave?"

"It's unclear, but the traces look like they're from tens of thousands of years ago."

An abandoned cave from tens of thousands of years ago?

That's interesting.

"Then, would the Rabbit Tribe be interested in cooperating with the Great Sinful Sect?"

"Cooperate…?" Tu Nuo Duo looked at Yan Buji, sighed, "Alright, but besides me, our tribe chief also knows about this."

Yan Buji smiled; this was what she had deliberately told herself—not to think about killing to silence.

"Fellow Daoist, you may be underestimating Yan; if we lose the Rabbit Tribe's friendship over some Time Sand, the Sect won't let me off the hook," Yan Buji said with a smile.

"Hehe, alright then, give me a few days to recover, and I'll take you there to see!"

"Understood."

A few days later, Yan Buji and Tu Nuo Duo returned to the border region. This time they were even more cautious, striving to avoid any conflict with forces. With the help of the Sect's intelligence network, they quickly learned that the mysterious cultivators seemed to be searching for a way into the depths of the Precious Light Ore.

"That's not good; how did they manage to enter the cave ahead of us?" Yan Buji frowned.

"It seems they haven't found the Time Sand yet," Tu Nuo Duo whispered.

Yan Buji nodded, "We must locate the Time Sand before they do."

The two decided to venture into the depths of the Precious Light Ore. This abandoned mine had been sealed for so long it seemed a dead silence, yet the interior remained fraught with unknown dangers. Yan Buji and Tu Nuo Duo carefully avoided traps and seals within the mine, gradually pressing deeper.

After many days of relentless searching and probing, leaving no potential clue unexamined, just as everyone felt exhausted and on the brink of giving up hope, fate seemed to suddenly favor them!

Deep within an extremely hidden and little‑known part of the mine, they unexpectedly caught a faint trace of the Time Sand!

The mysterious grain of sand shimmered like the brightest star in the night sky, emitting a soft, delicate glow while hovering silently in midair. It was the sole source of light in the dark cave, drawing both of their gazes to follow it closely.

Even more astonishing, as they approached the grain, they clearly felt the flow of time around them slow down, as if the whole world had been set to slow motion. The once swift air now seemed frozen, each speck of dust visible; the surrounding sounds stretched and deepened, becoming low and distant. This bizarre phenomenon left Yan Buji, present there, gaping in amazement.