Chapter 1747: Aftermath

Qi Xuansu and his two companions did not have to wait long. Two days later, the Cloud God’s pocket realm underwent a change and began preparing to teleport them out. This pocket realm could distinguish between living beings and inanimate objects. Living beings would be teleported out, while inanimate objects would remain completely unaffected and stay there indefinitely.

It gave the impression that, until the pocket realm acquired a true master, it would remain closed to visitors. No guests were permitted to stay for long; once their allotted time was up, they would be politely escorted out.

Moreover, this restriction specifically targeted individuals whose cultivation had reached a sufficiently high level. Ordinary people could remain here for extended periods, just like the members of the White Cloud Sect, and might even eventually become part of the pocket realm itself.

Before departing, Qi Xuansu placed the Innkeeper’s corpse inside the alchemy furnace. Generally speaking, when Immortals refined pills, they would use their own divine abilities to conjure flames, allowing them to control the temperature more precisely. However, they would sometimes use special fuels, like drawing upon subterranean fire. Thus, the furnace’s interior was remarkably spacious. Once inside, one would discover an entirely different realm, resembling an immense sea of flames.

Seeing this, Zhou Mengyao remarked, “As anyone who frequently kills people knows, killing someone is easy, but hiding the body is difficult. Judging by how practiced you are at hiding corpses, I really ought to investigate you thoroughly.”

“Hiding bodies? That’s amateur work! Veterans like us destroy the corpses and eliminate all traces, leaving no loose ends.” Qi Xuansu snorted and summoned Himiko’s Spiritual Statue. Using the True Solar Flames, he reignited the remaining embers within the alchemy furnace and reduced the Innkeeper to ashes.

After the group was teleported out of the Cloud God pocket realm, they reappeared on the surface of Yunmeng Marsh. However, there was no longer any mist shrouding the lake or the mountains. The waters were calm and peaceful.

Su Yuanzai also appeared not far away. As they expected, that crafty old fellow had secretly employed a substitute to escape the calamity.

Zhou Mengyao said nothing and simply turned around and departed.

She and Qi Xuansu had already discussed nearly everything that needed to be said between them, so there was no need for further conversation at this point.

Uncertain of the true circumstances, Su Yuanzai did not dare attempt to stop Zhou Mengyao. Instead, he turned toward Qi Xuansu and said, “Tian Yuan, it’s wonderful that you’re all safe!”

He then shifted his gaze to Long Xiaobai, who stood beside Qi Xuansu. “Who might this fellow Daoist be?”

Qi Xuansu smiled and replied, “She’s an instructor at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, a second-rank Daoist Priest Kindred.”

Su Yuanzai did not probe further. He clearly had no intention of investigating Long Xiaobai’s background. After all, it was common knowledge that most of Qi Xuansu’s official appointments and notable achievements had taken place overseas, where he had established an extensive and complicated network of connections. During his time on the Southern Continent, Qi Xuansu had already been capable of commanding Pseudo-Immortals. Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable for him to have another Pseudo-Immortal serving under him now.

What concerned Su Yuanzai more was what had happened after Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao were swallowed by the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, as well as whether the incident should be reported to the Daoist Order. If so, how should such a report be presented?

Now that Zhou Mengyao had departed, Su Yuanzai could only place his hopes on Qi Xuansu. He had been wary of Zhou Mengyao’s cultivation and formidable strength, so he had not dared to question her in detail while he had the chance.

Qi Xuansu understood Su Yuanzai’s thoughts perfectly well and had already prepared his explanation long beforehand.

Qi Xuansu’s principle was simple—never tell outright lies, but never reveal the whole truth either.

Therefore, Qi Xuansu omitted certain crucial details, such as the truth about the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, the Great Xuan Imperial Court’s schemes, and Wang Jujun’s severed head. But he gave an accurate account for everything else, including the Ancient Jingzhou that had been swallowed by the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, Cangyun Fortress in both the yang realm and the yin realm, and the inverted tower situated beneath the Nine Netherworlds.

Qi Xuansu also made a point of mentioning his relationship with Zhou Mengyao. Under the circumstances at the time, neither of them could afford to concern themselves with personal grudges, so they had decided to set aside their past grievances.

In the end, they had indeed discovered an alchemy furnace. However, the furnace was completely empty, with nothing remaining except some Elixir Liquid. This was the truth. Qi Xuansu had merely omitted the fact that it was Long Xiaobai who had consumed the elixir inside the furnace many years ago.

After listening to the account, Su Yuanzai clicked his tongue in astonishment. “So it was actually an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon that swallowed Ancient Jingzhou! No wonder Yunmeng Marsh kept expanding in defiance of all natural laws, eventually forcing later generations to rename Jingzhou as Huzhou, the Lake Province. In that case, it must have been the Qi Dynasty Imperial Court that sealed the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon within the Cloud God’s pocket realm back then. This so-called opportunity to attain immortality would also have fallen into their hands. I wonder which Immortal ultimately benefited from it.”

Qi Xuansu replied, “That should be the case.”

Su Yuanzai frowned slightly and asked, “What about the Innkeeper?”

Without the slightest change in his expression, Qi Xuansu replied, “I never saw him. I’m guessing he probably died inside.”

Su Yuanzai did not suspect anything. He knew nothing about the Innkeeper’s true background. As far as he was concerned, if he had not switched to his Myriad Manifestations Body at the last moment, he would most likely have perished inside the pocket realm. The Innkeeper was merely a Zaohua-stage Heavenly Being and did not have a substitute comparable to the Myriad Manifestations Body, so how could he possibly survive? The Innkeeper certainly could not compare with Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao, so his death was entirely within expectations.

Su Yuanzai let out a heavy sigh. “Tian Yuan, this expedition into the pocket realm has truly been a case of suffering a double loss. I have failed to find the opportunity to attain immortality and have even lost the Daoist Order’s semi-immortal objects. I must somehow provide the Golden Tower Council with an explanation.”

Qi Xuansu had been waiting for Su Yuanzai to bring up this matter of his own accord. Nevertheless, he deliberately feigned a moment of hesitation before replying, “This matter is indeed difficult to explain. In my opinion, it would be better to keep the account general rather than go into too much detail.”

Su Yuanzai immediately asked, “In your opinion, how exactly should we keep the account general?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “To be frank, these are not matters that can be discussed openly. However, since you are my senior and practically family, I shall speak plainly.”

“There’s no need for formalities between family members. There are only the two of us here...well, three of us. Whatever you have to say, just say it directly,” Su Yuanzai responded at once.

Only then did Qi Xuansu continue, “First, there is the question of our motive. We must not mention anything about fortuitous encounters, extraordinary opportunities, or the chance to attain immortality. We should also leave out Zhou Mengyao and the Innkeeper entirely. We must stick firmly to one version of events, that there were only the two of us, and we came here to investigate the supernatural phenomena occurring in Yunmeng Marsh. We knew nothing about anything else. As it turned out, we encountered an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, and as a result, we unexpectedly lost two semi-immortal objects.”

Su Yuanzai nodded in agreement. “That does make sense. The story holds together.”

Qi Xuansu continued, “Since we were conducting an investigation, we should have an investigative conclusion. Our findings are that an Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon descended into this world during the Qi Dynasty, swallowed half of Ancient Jingzhou, and caused Yunmeng Marsh to expand. Eventually, it was sealed here by the Qi Dynasty Imperial Court. Our recommendation is to not make any rash changes since the seal remains intact. Instead, we should continue reinforcing the seal to prevent anyone from accidentally entering.”

Su Yuanzai nodded in approval once again. This was the best possible outcome. If the two semi-immortal objects were reported as having been lost in the course of official duties, the Golden Tower Council would, at most, issue a verbal reprimand. It would not affect his career.

As someone who had served as an Omniscient Sage for many years, Su Yuanzai was perfectly capable of devising such an explanation himself. However, he had deliberately humbled himself and sought Qi Xuansu’s advice because his true intention was to reach an agreement with him. Only then could they make their fabricated account convincing.

If Qi Xuansu insisted on reporting everything truthfully, no amount of eloquence on Su Yuanzai’s part would accomplish anything. After all, it was Su Yuanzai who had lost the two semi-immortal objects, and he was the one who needed a favor. Therefore, Qi Xuansu had to be the one to establish their approach.

After the two reached a consensus, Su Yuanzai made another suggestion. “Why don’t we submit this report jointly under both our names?”

However, Qi Xuansu politely declined. “Sage Su, you are the Xiangzhou Daoist Mansion Master. If I were the Huzhou Daoist Mansion Master and this incident had occurred along the border between our two regions, then it would make sense to submit a joint report. However, I am currently the Wanxiang Daoist Palace Master. My visit to Xiangzhou this time was merely to pay a visit to my former superior, Sage Shi. I happened to hear about the supernatural phenomena at Yunmeng Marsh and became involved by coincidence. If we were to submit a joint report, it might raise questions about whether I have the proper authority to do so. Therefore, it would be better for you to take the lead in submitting the report, with my name listed beneath yours. Afterward, you can issue a detailed report in the name of the Daoist Mansion.”

Su Yuanzai did not insist. “That would be fine as well.”

In truth, Su Yuanzai had merely been testing the waters. There was no harm in trying, whether or not anything came of it. If Qi Xuansu was kindhearted or inexperienced enough to agree, that would be the best outcome. But if he refused, it would not be a major problem either. Su Yuanzai was not deliberately trying to set Qi Xuansu up. Rather, Qi Xuansu had a formidable reputation, powerful backers, and considerable political influence. As long as Qi Xuansu was willing to take the lead, the Golden Tower Council would most likely refrain from investigating too deeply, making it much easier to gloss over the matter.

However, Qi Xuansu proved that he was no novice and had no intention of putting himself forward to shoulder that responsibility.

Qi Xuansu said, “Sage Su, I still need to see Sage Shi. After all, I’ve been missing for so many days, and she’s bound to be worried. I should go and let her know that I’m safe. Otherwise, Sage Shi might submit a report to the Golden Tower Council before we have the chance to do so.”

Su Yuanzai replied, “You’re absolutely right, Tian Yuan. Senior Sister Shi must be growing anxious from waiting.”

They all belonged to the Cihang lineage. The relationship between Su Yuanyi, Shi Bingyun, and Su Yuanzai was comparable to that between Qi Jianyuan, Yao Pei, and Qi Xuansu.

Finally, Qi Xuansu said, “Sage Su, I’ll repeat what I said before. Whenever the Great Xuan Imperial Court is involved, I can’t shake the feeling that something ominous is lurking beneath the surface. We must not allow this matter to escalate. If it becomes entangled in the struggle among the Three Daoist Sects and subsequently draws all parties into the fray, the situation will become far more complicated. If so, none of us will be able to resolve this problem. Worse still, the two of us would bear the brunt of it, finding ourselves at the very center of the storm, with our futures hanging in the balance. Therefore, we absolutely must keep this matter contained.”

Su Yuanzai replied solemnly, “That is precisely what I was thinking as well. This matter must be kept under wraps. I’ll return to Xuannu Palace immediately, convene a Daoist Mansion Council, and carefully deliberate on how best to resolve this matter.”

Qi Xuansu said nothing further. After parting ways with Su Yuanzai, he returned to Taoyuan County.

Just as Qi Xuansu had anticipated, Shi Bingyun was already growing so anxious that she could barely sit still. She had originally intended to consult Su Yuanzai about the situation, only to discover that he had also disappeared. After giving it some thought, Shi Bingyun immediately knew that they had all been trapped inside.

With the situation becoming increasingly serious, it was all the more important not to submit a report rashly. At the very least, she needed to inform Sage Cihang beforehand so that she could make the necessary preparations rather than be caught completely off guard.

Just as Shi Bingyun was hesitating over what to do, Qi Xuansu finally returned, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief and put her mind at ease.

Qi Xuansu merely gave a brief account of what he had encountered before sending word to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace that he was safe. Even then, he glossed over the details, simply stating that he would return to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace within the next few days and that there was no need for concern.

Now that he was the Palace Master, as long as Great Sage Shi did not question him, no one else would dare to pry too deeply, much less make any critical remarks. This was precisely why the Sages enjoyed holding office so much. They could wield authority but also enjoy considerable personal freedom.