Chapter 616 - 265: Celestial Listening, Dragon Court

Chapter 616: Chapter 265: Celestial Listening, Dragon Court

"In all the years I was with him, he never spoke of his origins.

"It wasn’t until he was on his deathbed that he finally told me of his identity and background.

"But he refused to tell me his name..."

"That’s to be expected."

The old man nodded matter-of-factly.

"From the moment he became a Rooster Guard, his name was no longer important."

"..."

Fang Shuwen suddenly felt the urge to retort.

’I just made that up on the spot to make my lie more believable. If the old man asked for his name and I couldn’t answer, it would have been suspicious. Better to shut down that line of questioning from the start. I didn’t expect him to come up with an excuse for me.’

With that thought, Fang Shuwen stopped being polite and asked directly,

"If I may ask, Senior, what exactly happened back then?

"What should we do now?

"I’ve been traveling the Jianghu, using the identity of a guard to stay under the radar, with the intention of gathering clues about Dragon Abyss. But there’s not a single trace of it in all the Five Domains Under Heaven. It’s truly strange."

The old man couldn’t help but smile upon hearing this.

"It’s only natural that you don’t know. Dragon Abyss is hidden so deep that even I don’t know all its secrets.

"The Twelve Hour Guards are only one part of it.

"There is another part, the eyes of Dragon Abyss, responsible for gathering intelligence from all under heaven.

"Throughout the Five Domains Martial World, Dragon Abyss has countless spies.

"This branch is called ’Celestial Listening’."

"Celestial Listening..."

Fang Shuwen frowned slightly.

"As far as I know, the most formidable intelligence organization in the Five Domains Martial World is the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, isn’t it?

"Could Celestial Listening be connected to the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion?"

But the old man shook his head at his words.

"The Heaven-Reaching Pavilion is independent of the Jianghu. Celestial Listening is another matter entirely, with its own secrets. As for the specifics, even I don’t know.

"But there is no connection between them."

Fang Shuwen breathed a small sigh of relief. ’Good, as long as the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion isn’t connected to Celestial Listening. Otherwise, things with Chen Yan would get complicated.’

With this in mind, he continued to ask,

"Then what about the Dragon Court?"

"...The Lord of Time serves the Dragon Court."

As the old man spoke of this, a look of yearning appeared on his face.

"That is the true heart of Dragon Abyss!"

Fang Shuwen’s mind raced, and he immediately asked,

"Is the Old Lord of Time being held captive within the Dragon Court?"

"That’s right!"

The Elder Chenlong Guard nodded at once.

"Tell me, how do I find the Dragon Court!"

Fang Shuwen said in a low voice,

"That old man was miserable his whole life over this matter. I, too, have rushed all over the Jianghu for it, never resting for a moment.

"If I can find the Dragon Court and fulfill his lifelong wish...

"...then I can consider my duty to him fulfilled."

The old man looked at Fang Shuwen but didn’t speak immediately.

After a moment of silence, he said,

"This matter cannot be rushed."

"Hm?"

Fang Shuwen raised an eyebrow.

"Senior, what do you mean by that?"

"Since you are his disciple, did he ever tell you about ’that day’?"

Fang Shuwen raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"I heard that when that day comes, demons will run rampant and wash the world in blood."

"Precisely!"

The old man said gravely,

"Only when the Dragon Lord emerges from the abyss can the tide be turned.

"I know your Martial Arts far surpass your master’s. You must have had your own fortuitous encounters...

"But the situation is currently unclear. I cannot let you rush into the Dragon Court, or innocent people may be harmed.

"If the Dragon Lord is disturbed because of this, it would be a sin beyond redemption.

"Besides, at present, I don’t know where the Dragon Court is either."

"You don’t know either? Then what do we do?

"Are we just going to let the Old Lord of Time stay imprisoned? Just ignore him?"

Fang Shuwen was speechless. ’We’ve come this far, and now the old man is starting to backpedal?’

The old man shook his head and said,

"Of course not.

"The most important thing right now is to eliminate the traitors.

"There are villains around the Dragon Lord!

"The first and foremost among them is the current Lord of Time!

"By investigating him and working our way up, we can unravel the conspiracy and uproot them all.

"When the time is right, the Dragon Court will reveal itself. At that point, I will personally take you there to set things right!"

Fang Shuwen was silent for a moment, then asked,

"But how am I supposed to find this current Lord of Time?"

The old man glanced at Fang Shuwen.

"Leave that to me."

"?"

Fang Shuwen was stunned. He felt like the situation was going off track.

"You’ve been hiding in the East Sea for so many years. Are you planning to return to the Five Domains now?"

The old man nodded.

"For all these years, I have been hiding on Celestial Prison Island.

"Today, everyone on Celestial Prison Island, including the Island Master and the twelve Elders, are my people.

"But not a single one of them can compare to you.

"Frankly, it’s quite embarrassing for me. I’ve recruited so many people, yet none are as good as the one he found in you.

"With your level of Martial Arts, there’s no need for me to remain in the East Sea training more experts.

"I will return to the Five Domains and begin investigating the whereabouts of the Twelve Hour Guards and the location of the Lord of Time.

"You are known throughout the world as the ’Demon Evil God,’ so finding you won’t be difficult.

"Once I’ve made some progress, I will find a way to get a message to you."

’What is this?’

’Getting someone from Dragon Abyss to help me investigate Dragon Abyss?’

Fang Shuwen was lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"Do you know what that ’great undertaking’ the Old Lord of Time and the others were planning back then was?"

"Your master didn’t tell you?"

The old man glanced at Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen shook his head.

"That makes sense. The matter was too important. Even I don’t know the details, so of course he wouldn’t have told you."

The old man sighed.

"Back then, the Old Lord of Time entrusted me with the secret of entering and leaving the Dragon Court, but he never spoke a word about that great undertaking.

"He only said that if things went awry, I should make plans early.

"Alas, twenty years have passed like a dream. Looking back on the past now, it all feels so surreal.

"Let’s not talk about this for now. Once we rescue the Old Lord of Time, we will have our answers.

"Now... I will teach you the [Clouded Leopard Book]!"

"What?"

Fang Shuwen was taken aback. ’Things are going this well?’

"I know your Martial Arts are peerless, but the [Clouded Leopard Book] is also extraordinary. More importantly, as long as you are near water, this technique is the best in the world for self-preservation!

"The path you walk is fraught with danger. With the [Clouded Leopard Book], your chances of success will be much greater!"

The old man spoke with such conviction, clearly so thoroughly duped by Fang Shuwen that he was ready to teach him his most prized techniques.

Fang Shuwen had no reason to refuse, so he listened quietly as the man began his explanation.