vrcanaries Chapter 1813 I'm already fed up with it.
Chapter 1813 I'm already fed up with it.
Mingchuan immediately informed Lingxu Zhenren and the four sect leaders of this discovery through encrypted channels.
Master Lingxu replied quickly: "This matter is of utmost importance. The environment of the Fallen Star Wasteland is unique, and large-scale divine sense probing is easily interfered with by chaotic energy and is also easy to expose. It is not advisable to send a large force there rashly. I suggest sending a small number of elites first, under the guise of exploration or gathering, to infiltrate the outer perimeter to investigate and confirm the truth."
The four sect leaders agreed to the plan and each recommended a reliable candidate who was skilled in concealment and reconnaissance and familiar with the terrain of the Western Regions.
Ultimately, an elite reconnaissance team of five was quickly formed.
The captain is Han Tieshan, an experienced mid-stage Core Formation elder of Xuantian Sect who has been stationed on the western border for many years. He is calm and resolute and knows the geography of the western region and the dangers of the wilderness like the back of his hand.
The team members included a guest elder from Qingfeng Yumen who was skilled in wind escape and reconnaissance and was in the early stage of Core Formation; a steward from Zixiao Jingyuan who was proficient in using metal fire to break evil and array detection; a protector from Butian Shengjiao who was outstanding in medical and purification abilities; and... Zhao Hu from Wanchuan Sect.
Zhao Hu's selection was due to Ming Chuan's strong recommendation.
The reason is simple.
Zhao Hu is resolute, has rich practical experience, and has cultivated the "Myriad Transformations Return to One Technique," making him keenly aware of different types of energy. More importantly, he is worthy of absolute trust.
On the eve of his departure, Mingchuan summoned Zhao Hu to the back mountain of the Hanging Palace.
“Tiger, this mission is no less dangerous than the Abyss.” Mingchuan looked at his brother, who had become more composed despite the hardships he had endured, and said in a serious tone, “The Fallen Star Wasteland itself is fraught with danger, and may even harbor unknown enemies. Your mission is reconnaissance, not combat. Once you discover any danger beyond your control, or confirm the existence of the target, retreat immediately, send a signal, and do not hesitate.”
Zhao Hu nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, Brother Ming, I understand the importance of this. Elder Han is very experienced, we will act carefully."
Mingchuan patted him on the shoulder and handed him a specially made silver talisman: "This is a Void Escape Talisman made with my spatial power. In critical situations, it can tear through space and perform short-distance random teleportation, which might save your lives. In addition, I have secretly attached the sub-mirror of the Celestial Mirror to the positioning magic artifacts you are carrying. As long as you are not completely isolated by special formations, I can vaguely sense your approximate location and life status."
Zhao Hu solemnly accepted the talisman and put it away: "Thank you, Brother Ming."
"You came back alive." Mingchuan looked into his eyes. "We brothers still have a lot to do together."
"Definitely!" Zhao Hu grinned, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
At dawn the following day, the reconnaissance team, under strict secrecy, quietly left Wanchuan Sect and headed towards the Falling Star Wasteland in the Western Regions.
Watching them leave, Mingchuan felt no relief.
He refocused most of his attention on the astronomical mirror, continuing to analyze more details of the spatial disturbance, and also consciously began to review all records and anomaly reports about the fallen star wasteland over the past few decades.
He discovered that reports of unusual events in the Fallen Star Wasteland had indeed been slowly increasing over the past two decades.
For example, some explorers claim to have seen moving, glowing hills deep in the wasteland, some miners report that a certain abandoned mine suddenly emitted strange noises and oozed black slime, and there are even several bizarre cases of cultivators mysteriously disappearing on the edge of the wasteland and later having their magical artifacts found on the other side of the wasteland...
These incidents were mostly attributed to the harsh environment and unknown dangers of the wilderness itself, and did not attract much attention.
But now it seems that these scattered anomalies may be just the tip of the iceberg of some large-scale covert activity.
Just as Mingchuan was engrossed in studying these materials, Jinman brought another unsettling piece of news.
“Mingchuan, we lost contact with a secret supply depot in Liuyun Gorge in the Eastern Region three days ago. According to the plan, there should have been a regular message exchange yesterday, but there has been no news since. The disciple we sent to investigate… has also lost contact.”
Jin Man's expression was grave. "The location of Liuyunjian is secluded, and very few people know about it. It is also equipped with simple early warning and concealment formations. Unless it is specifically and precisely located and broken, it is very difficult to be discovered."
Mingchuan's heart sank: "What was the last message sent before they lost contact?"
“Everything is normal. We are receiving a batch of deep-sea black iron from the South China Sea Market,” Jin Man said. “The caravan that delivered the goods is the Hailan Merchant Guild, which Qingfeng Yumen has long cooperated with. They have a clean background and have never made any mistakes in the past. After I took over the management of most of the sect’s affairs, it was Sect Master Ye who specifically recommended this merchant guild to me.”
"Has the Hailan Chamber of Commerce been investigated?"
"We are investigating, but the Chamber of Commerce reports that their cargo ship and personnel arrived at the designated location outside Liuyunjian on time, completed the handover, and left without entering the ravine. They also did not find anything unusual."
"So, the problem lies after the handover, either inside the transit station or on the return trip?" Mingchuan frowned.
A hidden transit station, along with the disciples who went to investigate, disappeared without a trace; this could not have been accomplished by an ordinary accident.
“I suspect that we may have been infiltrated.” Jinman lowered her voice and voiced the worst possible guess. “The other side knows the exact location of the relay station and the communication patterns, which is why they were able to cut off the communication so precisely. They may even have ambushed the disciples who went to investigate.”
Mingchuan was silent.
He had considered this possibility.
The rise of Wanchuan Sect was too rapid, and its personnel composition was complex. Although the core members had undergone many tests, it was hard to guarantee that the middle and lower-level disciples, as well as some peripheral stewards and servants, might not have been bribed or had spies planted by the Holy Domain or other forces.
Everything had been calm before, perhaps the other side was waiting for the right opportunity, or perhaps... they were gathering enough information.
"Initiate an internal investigation process, to be conducted secretly, starting with the personnel involved in the Liuyunjian case, but do not expand the scope to avoid causing unnecessary panic."
Mingchuan ordered, "At the same time, all important material routes and contact points should be replaced with backup plans, and encryption and verification measures should be strengthened."
“Alright.” Jin Man hesitated for a moment, then said, “There’s one more thing. The Heaven-Mending Holy Sect has observed all the turmoil at the Dragon Roar Temple in the Holy Domain. It seems that Yue Yao’s various actions have angered the Dragon Roar Temple Master. Now that the Master is preparing to emerge from seclusion, he might take action against us.”
Upon hearing this, Mingchuan took a deep breath.
His brows furrowed tightly, and his heart sank a little deeper.
After a long pause, he sneered, "Let them come. The Spirit Realm already has a mountain of problems, so one or two more won't make a difference. At worst, we'll just cause a huge uproar."
"I'm already fed up with all this constant checking!"
"Besides..." Mingchuan's gaze slowly turned to Jinman, a smile playing on his lips, "Don't you still carry the secrets of the Holy Domain? Now that the sect has developed to this point, I'm afraid you've long been itching to start a war with the Holy Domain, haven't you?"