Diverting the Flood Eastward (1 / 2)

Within the Dead Soul Mountain Range in Central Plains, one of the Soul Lamps filling a room in the Earth Fiend Hall, a branch of the Soul Hall, suddenly went out.

These Soul Lamps were made by extracting a wisp of soul directly from members of the Soul Hall.

A burning Soul Lamp meant its owner was alive; an extinguished one meant its owner was dead.

Now, the extinguishing of a high-grade Soul Lamp signified the death of a high-ranking steward of the Soul Hall.

A protector's death was a serious matter. The Soul Envoy responsible for tending the Soul Lamps immediately reported it up through the ranks, all the way to the Branch Hall Master.

Upon learning of it, the Branch Hall Master took the matter very seriously.

A protector's death was no small matter, especially given Protector Wu's unusual circumstances. He had been carrying out a mission passed down through successive levels of command.

What exactly had happened in the Northwest Region? Could something truly exist there that they knew nothing about?

Had a Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade Fragment appeared? Or had the hidden Xiao Clan Remnants surfaced?

For a time, the Soul Hall's senior members in the Dead Soul Mountain Range were all consumed by speculation.

Whichever it was, they had to get to the bottom of it.

They needed to send new envoys to the Northwest Region to fill the vacancy left by Protector Wu's death.

As night approached, the Branch Hall Master in the Dead Soul Mountain Range made a swift decision and dispatched three High-Rank Dou Zong experts to the Northwest Region.

"Soul Three, Soul Two, Soul One, I have a mission for the three of you."

The Branch Hall Master approached with his hands behind his back and addressed Soul Three, Soul Two, and Soul One behind him.

Hearing this, Soul Three, Soul Two, and Soul One immediately knelt and said in unison, "Give us your orders, Hall Master. We will walk through boiling water and raging fire, sparing no effort to complete the mission you entrust to us."

Their voices rang like thunder, their actions demonstrating their ability to complete the mission.

The Branch Hall Master nodded.

These triplets looked a little dim, but at least their cultivation was high.

There should be no problem handing the mission over to them.

Thus, he said, "Your mission is to go to the Northwest Region and take over Protector Wu's assignment. While you are there, investigate the cause of his death."

"Can you complete the mission?"

"Yes!" Soul One, Soul Two, and Soul Three answered in unison.

"Then set out!" The Branch Hall Master waved a hand, signaling that they could leave.

Soul One, Soul Two, and Soul Three exchanged glances, then quietly withdrew and set off for the Northwest Region.

Even after Soul One, Soul Two, and Soul Three had left, the Soul Hall's Branch Hall Master in the Dead Soul Mountain Range still felt uneasy.

After some thought, he decided to send word to Iron Protector and Protector Xuan, who were in the Northwest Region carrying out the mission alongside Protector Wu.

He ordered them to cooperate with Soul One, Soul Two, and Soul Three in investigating the cause of Protector Wu's death.

They were also to locate the hiding place of the Xiao Clan Remnants and find the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade Fragment in their possession.

The moment the Soul Hall's Branch Hall Master in the Dead Soul Mountain Range sent the message, Iron Protector, who had secretly supported two major sects in the Chu Yun Empire, and Protector Xuan, who was monitoring Han Feng in the Black-Corner Region, received it.

When they learned that Protector Wu, whose status was higher than theirs, had actually died, both reacted with identical shock.

Their minds went blank, and they simply could not understand why Protector Wu had died.

Protector Wu's cultivation was somewhat higher than theirs. They were only Four-Star Dou Zong, while Protector Wu was a Five-Star Dou Zong.

Dou Zong was already the highest realm in the Northwest Region. With his Five-Star Dou Zong cultivation, Protector Wu stood at the very ceiling of the entire region, an utterly invincible existence.

How could someone as powerful as Protector Wu possibly have died?!

With Protector Wu's strength, even if every Dou Zong expert in the Northwest Region joined forces, he could still have escaped unscathed if he proved unable to defeat them.

If Protector Wu, a Five-Star Dou Zong, was determined to flee, no one in the Northwest Region could stop him.

Thus, neither Iron Protector nor Protector Xuan could understand why Protector Wu had died.

Could there be a reclusive expert in the Northwest Region whom they knew nothing about?

Had Protector Wu died because he encountered this peerless expert?

Suddenly, Iron Protector and Protector Xuan thought of the Xiao Clan Remnants and the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade Fragment the hall master had ordered them to track down.

If such a peerless expert truly lived in seclusion there, the odds were that this person was one of the Xiao Clan Remnants.

After all, the Xiao Clan had once been one of the Ancient Eight Clans, standing alongside the Soul Clan, and had dealt the Soul Clan a devastating blow.

Although the Xiao Clan had been struck from the Ancient Eight Clans after that battle, the Soul Clan had taken nearly a thousand years to restore its strength to what it had been when the war with the Xiao Clan began.

If the Xiao Clan really was involved, things would become difficult.

Their strength alone would not be enough to handle it.

They should wait until Soul One, Soul Two, and Soul Three arrived before making any long-term plans.

Before that, however, they needed to find out exactly how Protector Wu had died.

When the three of them came to the Northwest Region, their duties had been clearly divided. Iron Protector was responsible for provoking a war between the Chu Yun Empire and the Jia Ma Empire, then collecting souls from it.

Protector Xuan, meanwhile, was responsible for monitoring Han Feng.

The capable shouldered more work, and Protector Wu had been tasked with both investigating the Xiao Clan Remnants and finding the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade Fragment demanded by their superiors.

Protector Wu seemed to have been in contact with the Misty Cloud Sect recently. During their last communication, he had said he was going there to seek cooperation with someone named Yun Shan.

Iron Protector and Protector Xuan had already spent some time in the Northwest Region.

They had heard a little about Yun Shan.

Yun Shan was the eighth sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect—in other words, its previous sect master.

The Misty Cloud Sect had been founded a thousand years ago by Yun Potian. While Yun Potian was still around, it had been a top-tier power.

Thinking back, the Misty Cloud Sect had no connection whatsoever to the Xiao Clan—not even one within eight poles' reach!

So why had Protector Wu gone to the Misty Cloud Sect?

Iron Protector had a feeling that once he unraveled this mystery, every problem would fall away like bamboo splitting before a blade, and the truth behind Protector Wu's death would rise to the surface.

After some thought, Iron Protector and Protector Xuan sent word of this to the Branch Hall Master and Soul One, Soul Two, and Soul Three.

They themselves temporarily set aside their current assignments and set off for the Misty Cloud Sect to investigate the truth behind Protector Wu's death.

Meanwhile, Chen Yang, who was enjoying intimate pleasures with Yun Yun in their bridal chamber, had no idea that his interference had sent events completely off their original course.

The skies over the Northwest Region were about to change dramatically.

Xiao Yan would also be dragged into it, suffering many more undeserved calamities.

At that moment, Chen Yang propped his head up with one hand, looking thoroughly satisfied, while gently playing with Yun Yun's hair with the other.

As he gazed at Yun Yun, who had fallen sound asleep from exhaustion, the faint smile on his lips slowly faded, and his eyes grew increasingly deep.

If his expectations proved correct, a storm of blood and carnage would soon descend.

Protector Wu had come to the Northwest Region on a mission. Now that he had died outside the Misty Cloud Sect's gates, the Soul Hall would likely send envoys to investigate soon.

Against the Soul Clan, Chen Yang had nothing to worry about when it came to protecting himself, even with Yun Yun beside him.

But protecting the entire Misty Cloud Sect from the Soul Hall's vicious hands was nearly impossible, even for someone as strong as him.

After all, he was merely an invincible Nine-Star Dou Sheng. He had little deterrent power, and others were not even afraid of him.

So he needed to find a powerful ally—or a scapegoat.

A powerful ally, a scapegoat!

At that thought, a sharp gleam flashed through Chen Yang's eyes, and a brilliant plan sprang to mind. He decided to divert the flood eastward.

He already had a ready-made powerful ally and scapegoat.

Xiao Yan was a child of destiny. Simply put, he could not die, making him the perfect scapegoat.

As for an ally, Xiao Xun'er was a good candidate.

Her true identity was the young lady of the Gu Clan. The Gu Clan behind her was a mighty force capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Soul Clan, so he would have to plan carefully to secure such powerful support.

Ideally, he would fabricate a piece of evidence that pointed the spearhead toward the Xiao Clan.