Appeasement, warnings, tax collection, and a sorting-out of the lower domains' affairs.
The Immortal Artifact Sect's envoys methodically cleared away anything that threatened the Immortal Order's rule.
Then, amid the flood of intelligence, a mountain-dwelling rogue cultivator caught their attention.
"An anomaly."
"This rogue cultivator has a great secret."
Mountain-Cutting True Venerable said to the incarnation of Abundant Fortune True Venerable beside him, "Even with a fortuitous encounter, a rogue cultivator shouldn't be able to produce so many heavenly materials and earthly treasures. And if he had that many, he should be trading them for cultivation pills, techniques, secret arts—things vital to him."
"Not just more raw materials."
"It defies common sense."
Tax collection and the sale of traveling merchants' goods were the two legs supporting the Immortal Order's rule. They were closely connected, with no wall between them.
What happened in the Heavenly Crafts Pavilion could not be hidden from the Immortal Order's Attendant Envoy.
"Then should we eliminate this factor?"
"Senior Brother Caishan, let's be clear: neither I nor the Heavenly Crafts Pavilion will take part. He must be allowed to return to his lair after the transaction is complete, and you must wait at least a hundred years before acting. Even in an emergency, you must wait fifty."
Abundant Fortune True Venerable said with a smile, "Unless he betrays humanity or colludes with the Demon Race, the Heavenly Crafts Pavilion's reputation cannot be damaged."
"I know that."
Mountain-Cutting True Venerable waved a hand. "It's an anomaly, yes, but there's no evidence. He might have stumbled upon an ancient cultivator's cave, killed a grievously wounded Void Refining cultivator, gained some other opportunity, or cultivated some secret art... All of that is possible."
Evidence.
Yes, evidence.
In a cultivation world where the weak had always been prey to the