“Thirty thousand years ago, as was my custom, I went to Master Muyin’s grotto-heaven. But when I arrived, his chest had been pierced straight through—he had met a violent end!”
Daoist Lord Wanfa’s voice trembled. “There were no traces of a fight at the scene. Even if he was asleep and someone tried to launch a sneak attack, his instincts would have alerted him to danger. He would have gotten up to fight back. Even if he was outmatched, he wouldn’t have died from a single blow.”
“The one who killed him was no half-immortal, but an immortal!”
At this point, fear surfaced on Daoist Lord Wanfa’s face. Master Muyin’s demise had cast a massive psychological shadow over him.
“This is why I repeatedly made sure that this place was safe and free from eavesdroppers.”
“Once that immortal learns of what is discussed here, my life is as good as forfeit.”
“So that’s how it is,” Yun Zhi murmured thoughtfully. She had never expected the Xinhuo Dynasty’s existence to hold such hidden depths.
In all likelihood, the immortal who had gone to such lengths to conceal the Xinhuo Dynasty was the very reason the ancient legacy had been severed.
At first, Yun Zhi had never been able to find any trace of the Xinhuo Dynasty and had assumed that its disappearance was just like Immortal Fairy’s—erased by a mastermind through some special method.
Now it seemed that while the cause of the Xinhuo Dynasty’s downfall remained uncertain, the reason it had vanished so completely was someone else entirely.
“What relationship did the Xinhuo Dynasty have with the Four Ancient Celestials?” Yun Zhi asked again.
She remembered that in the Immortal Secret Realm, there were ruins of the Xinhuo Dynasty, and among those ruins stood a statue of the Immortal Celestial whose gender could not be told apart.
Daoist Lord Wanfa said with great caution, “I once saw a mural in a dilapidated temple. It was severely damaged, so I could only vaguely make out that it was painted at the dawn of the Xinhuo Dynasty. Carved upon it were four towering figures. My speculation—mind you, it is merely speculation—is that the Xinhuo Dynasty was jointly founded by the Four Ancient Celestials.”
Unable to read the three’s stance toward the Four Ancient Celestials, Daoist Lord Wanfa took pains to emphasize that this was nothing more than speculation.
Judging by how little Yun Zhi and the others knew of the Xinhuo Dynasty, it seemed very likely that these members of the Ancient Heavenly Court had entered a collective slumber before the dynasty was founded, only waking up recently.
*Wait, that’s not right either. Two of these three are immortals—did they even have any need to slumber?*
Daoist Lord Wanfa’s blood ran cold as a bold suspicion crossed his mind: *Don’t tell me your Ancient Heavenly Court is fake?!*
He dared not pursue the thought any further, fearing he might be silenced to keep the secret. He even felt the urge to give himself two slaps. *Who told you to be so clever? Why overthink things when you have nothing better to do?!*
“The Four Ancient Celestials founded the Xinhuo Dynasty... an immortal covering up its existence... Could this be related to the fall of Immortal Suiyue?” Lu Yang muttered under his breath. If so, then the strength of this unknown immortal was terrifyingly formidable.
“What? Immortal Suiyue has fallen?!” Daoist Lord Wanfa’s spirits lifted when he overheard Lu Yang’s murmur.
He was promptly met with unfriendly glares from Lu Yang and Immortal Fairy, prompting him to offer a sheepish smile.
“Covering up the Xinhuo Dynasty’s existence... what could his motive be?” Yun Zhi was just as puzzled. Did the Xinhuo Dynasty harbor some unspeakable secret?
Yun Zhi had not expected the matter of the Xinhuo Dynasty to implicate an immortal—and a ruthless one at that.
She cast a glance at Lu Yang, suddenly remembering that he was only in the Nascent Soul stage. It was not yet time for him to know about the games played between immortals.
“Little Junior Brother, I will handle the matter of the Xinhuo Dynasty. You need not concern yourself with it.”
Lu Yang scratched his head. Wasn’t Eldest Senior Sister thinking too highly of him? He was merely a cultivator at the mid-Chongying stage; even if he wanted to investigate the Xinhuo Dynasty, his cultivation wouldn’t allow it anyway.
Chapter 771