Chapter 198: The Previous Owner
“Huh? What happened?”
The Traveling Merchant’s puppet avatar frowned, pocketing the newly acquired Purple Yang Fruits. He walked to the door of Room Yi, peered out, and returned with a grim expression.
“Bad luck,” the merchant sighed. “We’ve run into trouble.”
Sect Leader Qi and Elder Yan swept their Divine Sense through the wall. Their expressions darkened.
“The Great Zhou Crown Prince,” Qi muttered. “How utterly absurd.”
“What happened?” Elder Wen asked.
Elder Yan shook his head. “The Prince realized his illness was incurable and his throne lost. He committed suicide.”
“He died quietly inside the coffin,” Yan continued. “By the time his attendants checked on him, he was already cold. No one could save him.”
The merchant threw up his hands in exasperation. “Please, friends from Wanchun Valley, bear witness for me! He forced his way into this trip, and now he dies on my doorstep? If I can’t explain this to the Great Zhou Dynasty, I’ll never be able to trade in the Black Mountain or Ten Thousand Beasts markets again!”
Sect Leader Qi nodded calmly. “We will vouch for you. We did not harm him. He destroyed his own body practicing Spirit Sword Sect techniques and then took his own life. It has nothing to do with us.”
“I will send a disciple to the capital alongside the Spirit Sword Sect representatives,” Qi added. “If the Dynasty pushes the issue, we will counter-sue them for the crime of royalty practicing forbidden cultivation arts.”
The merchant puppet breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Sect Leader Qi! Trading with Wanchun Valley is truly a blessing. Next time I have intel on the Central Heaven Domain, it’s yours for free.”
The group left the room. In the hallway, the scene was chaotic. The Prince’s eunuchs were wailing, tearing at their clothes.
“His Highness has passed!”
“We’re dead! We’ll be executed when we return!”
“It’s all Little Li’s fault!”
Seeing the cultivators emerge, the eunuchs dropped to their knees, banging their heads on the floor. “Immortal Masters! Please, have mercy! Save us! Save the Prince!”
Sect Leader Qi brushed past them. “I will handle the Dynasty. Wait here.”
Han Yu followed the group, his mind racing.
The Prince didn’t bring his usual trusted guards. He dies suddenly. And that gaze… someone was watching me.
This whole setup smelled wrong.
Outside the tavern, Han Yu whispered to Elder Lü. “Master, should I release the crows? Just to ensure no one ambushes us?”
“Caution is good,” Elder Lü agreed. “But don’t worry too much. The merchant is powerful—likely a Golden Core himself. He won’t let this mess stick to him.”
Han Yu nodded and released three crows from his Spirit Beast Bag—the Boss Crow and two smaller scouts.
The moment they took flight, a jolt of telepathic shock hit Han Yu’s mind.
The Boss Crow’s voice was clear and urgent: The Previous Owner. He is here.
Han Yu froze.
Previous Owner?
Old Daoist Li.
The rogue cultivator who had originally awakened the crow’s spirit with his own essence blood. The man Han Yu thought was dead or long gone.
He’s alive? And he’s here? Right under the noses of two Golden Core cultivators?
Han Yu’s hand tightened into a fist. He forced a smile for Elder Lü. “Master is right. The merchant will handle it. I won’t waste the effort.”
He recalled the crows instantly.
If Old Daoist Li was hiding here, exposing him now would be dangerous. Han Yu wanted to meet him, to ask questions, but with the Sect Leader present, it was impossible.
As the group boarded the Green Jade Gourd and ascended, Han Yu looked back at the shrinking market.
Old Li… what are you doing here?
Back at the sect, the intel from the jade slip was analyzed in the Main Hall.
The report was comprehensive. It detailed the geography and customs of the Central Heaven Domain, but two pieces of information stood out like beacons.
First: Chaos in the Central Heaven Domain. Six of the nine Great Sects were currently hunting a rogue Nascent Soul cultivator named Giant Demon Star. Despite their combined might, they couldn’t catch him. The chase was causing instability across the region.
Second: The threat to the Southern Domain.
Three Great Sects bordered their region: the Myriad Phenomena Sect, the Saint Sect, and the Joyous Union Sect.
The Myriad Phenomena Sect was the parent organization of the Little Sky Net Sect.
The Saint Sect was the origin of the Demon Blood Sect.
According to the merchant’s analysis, the Saint Sect and Joyous Union Sect had little interest in the Southern Domain. The true enemy—the one backing the Little Sky Net Sect’s aggression—was the Myriad Phenomena Sect.
Sect Leader Qi lowered the jade slip.
“The Purple Yang Fruits were well spent,” he said gravely. “We are no longer blind. We know our enemies.”
“Only the Myriad Phenomena Sect and the Little Sky Net Sect,” Qi mused. “It is a terrifying lineup, but at least we can focus our defenses.”
Elder Yan narrowed his eyes. “Our luck is terrible. Two Demonic Sects and one self-righteous, prophecy-obsessed ‘Orthodox’ sect. Trying to reason with them will be useless. We must prepare for war.”
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