Xuanqing Sect.
Yan Changkong read the diary and sighed. "Ancestor Lin Feng left the sect at that time?"
"But he said he'd come back to visit often, yet the sect's records don't mention it..."
By all rights, Lin Feng had already reached the Nascent Soul stage when he left.
When he returned, he must have been even stronger.
A mighty expert of that caliber coming back to visit the sect should have been recorded somewhere.
The Great Elder, Chen Xiu, thought for a moment. "Sect Master, perhaps Ancestor Lin Feng did return, but simply didn't reveal his identity."
Yan Changkong considered it. That was entirely possible.
Perhaps he wanted to avoid trouble, or perhaps he had some other reason. It was perfectly normal for Ancestor Lin Feng to conceal his identity when he came back.
Besides, the more powerful a cultivator became, the more important it was to keep others from discovering his origins.
Those could all become weaknesses for enemies to exploit.
The Xuanqing Sect disciples watched with keen interest. Ancestor Lin Feng was heading down the mountain already?
Just then, the diary continued to be revealed.
Diary of the Immortal Great Emperor, page nineteen:
[Life is a journey against the current; I, too, am but a traveler.]
[In the blink of an eye, it's been over a year since I left the sect. I'm on the road to the Central Province.]
[I haven't taken a flying vessel or a teleportation array. Traveling through countless mountains and rivers is an experience in itself.]
[I passed through the Heavenly Mist Domain in Ning Province. There are so many beautiful women here, with slender waists, shapely bottoms, and snow-white skin. I like it...]
[Even the brothels offer a unique experience.]
[But during this time, I noticed strange noises often coming from a mountain range several thousand li from here.]
[Normally, I'd stay far away from something like this and keep my head down while I grew stronger. That's the right path!]
[But some unseen force seemed to be guiding me. Even my dreams gave me no peace.]
[After much inner struggle, I decided to go investigate.]
[If things looked even slightly wrong, I'd flee a thousand li away.]
The diary entry ended there, leaving behind a few unanswered questions. Countless people who had read it began discussing them.
"'Life is a journey against the current; I, too, am but a traveler.' What a line! As expected of a Great Emperor, he speaks in verse without even trying!"
"I like slender waists and shapely bottoms, too!"
"Putting everything else aside, the girls in the Heavenly Mist Domain really are fair and lovely. I was lucky enough to train there once."
"There don't seem to be any famous mountains with a notable history in the Heavenly Mist Domain!"
"Over the past few thousand years, one clan did rise rapidly to become a regional overlord—the An Clan of Ning Province!"
"But what could have made even the Great Emperor go investigate?"
"And he was guided by some unseen force..."
"Could there have been some great discovery or enormous opportunity there?"
"That's entirely possible!"
At that moment, cultivators throughout the Cultivation World pondered the diary's contents, their interest clearly piqued.
Jade Pool Holy Land.
Yuan Ruoyu and the Great Elder, Wei Yuan, both changed expression.
They exchanged glances, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.
"This diary entry..."
Yuan Ruoyu narrowed her eyes and murmured softly, all sorts of thoughts flashing through her mind.
Had he already discovered something back then?
You've been hiding this from me all along!
Yuan Ruoyu grumbled inwardly. Given their relationship, did he really have to keep it from her and shoulder everything alone?
Liyue Immortal Dynasty.
The smile disappeared from Ye Qingge's face, and her eyes slowly turned cold.
"Did he discover something?"
Ye Qingge looked thoughtful, recalling some of her past encounters with Lin Feng.
Lin Feng had once told her that this world held many secrets.
But at the time, he hadn't been able to tell her much.
In the imperial court, Gongyang Mu and the other ministers had also fallen silent.
They occasionally murmured among themselves, clearly fascinated by the strange noises mentioned in the diary.
After all, even the Immortal Great Emperor had received some unseen guidance...
Perhaps there really had been a major discovery.
The world of cultivation was full of wonders.
It wasn't unheard of for people to receive guidance from a communion between Heaven and Man at certain moments.
For example, cultivators exploring the wilderness often gained great opportunities or avoided disasters thanks to their intuition.
And when the person receiving this guidance was a Great Emperor, that changed everything.
At that moment, aboard a massive ship.
"No doubt about it!"
"This can't be a coincidence!"
"Ning Province, the Heavenly Mist Domain, Heavenly Mist..."
Jiang Youlong stared at the diary. His heart clenched, and his breathing grew ragged!
He kept muttering under his breath.
Suddenly, Jiang Youlong looked up and blurted out, "The Heavenly Mist Domain—the An Clan!"
"If I'm not mistaken, the An Clan will be the next Blood Spirit Sect!"
Jiang Youlong roared in a low voice, "What exactly is the Immortal Great Emperor trying to do?"
He could almost be certain now!
Perhaps the Immortal Great Emperor had arranged all of this—including the exposure of this diary—as part of a scheme!
Otherwise—
How could a few wandering cultivators have found a Great Emperor's diary so easily?
The more Jiang Youlong thought about it, the grimmer his expression became.
A chill shot from his heels to the back of his head. His hair stood on end, and cold sweat drenched him!
Hua Hongyi and Zuo Qingtian beside him also looked grim.
The air itself seemed to grow heavy.
The An Clan of Ning Province had countless ties to their own clans.
One could even say the An Clan's rapid rise in Ning Province was thanks in no small part to them.
The Jiang Clan, Hua Clan, and Zuo Clan had all played a major role!
After a long while,
Jiang Youlong drew a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "This is a test, too. First, he's making everyone curious!"
"The next diary entry is the important one!"
Hua Hongyi said gravely, "Did he really discover something?"
Her mind was in turmoil, too.
Zuo Qingtian thought of an even more terrifying possibility. He lowered his voice. "Could the Immortal Great Emperor be trying to use this method to let the whole world know something?"
"Could it be about our clans...?"
He didn't finish his sentence.
But the terror on his face was impossible to conceal as he said it.
Jiang Youlong and Hua Hongyi fell silent at his words, unable to respond.
At this point, they had to prepare for the worst.
"Phew..."
For a while, the only sounds in the cabin were the three of them breathing heavily.
After a moment,
Jiang Youlong drew a deep breath and said, "Let's wait. There's one last diary entry today!"
"Once it's revealed, we'll have our answer."
Hua Hongyi took a deep breath. Her chest rose and fell, but no one was in the mood to admire the view.
A moment later,
The light on the Projection Array flickered.
The final diary entry was finally revealed.
Countless cultivators stared intently.
Diary of the Immortal Great Emperor, page twenty:
[Two months have passed. I finally made it out!]
[I used a secret technique to conceal myself and sneaked into the source of those strange noises!]
[I never expected to uncover a shocking secret there!]
[I saw a sight I'll never forget. Even now, recalling it leaves my heart pounding, and I can hardly calm down!]
[This secret is important not just to me; it concerns the fate of every cultivator in the entire Cultivation World.]
[Because it's a secret about becoming an immortal and ascending...]
[I also gained an opportunity from it and benefited greatly.]
[I'm leaving. It's not safe to stay here.]
[I hope that, one day, someone else will discover this place's secret.]
[Hehe, one more thing...]
[This place is in the southern part of the Heavenly Mist Domain, on a mountain called Cangwu. Break through the seals and restrictions, and you'll find something.]
Before you continue