"I wonder how he maintains such strength in the Nine Mysteries Saint Realm. Could it be that the Nine Mysteries Holy Lord gave him special treatment?"
The muscular cultivator from before was still clearly Qi Ingestion, and muttered another sentence, his tone tinged with resentment and bitterness.
Upon hearing this, none of the people around him responded, but their eyes all revealed a degree of agreement.
After all, the Nine Mysteries Saint Realm is nominally under the jurisdiction of the Nine Mysteries Holy Lord. As the personal disciple of the Nine Mysteries Holy Lord, it would be hard to believe that he would receive no preferential treatment at all.
However, such words could only be spoken in private; no one dared to mention them in front of Han Xuanji.
Even if they really did use connections, that's their skill, and it's none of their business to interfere.
Of course, if figures like Jiang Hanzhou and Chi Yuan, who have powerful backgrounds in the Sacred Court, were to make the suggestion, and if it was indeed the Nine Mysteries Holy Lord had tampered with things, even someone of the Nine Mysteries Holy Lord ' status would not be spared punishment.
Jiang Hanzhou listened silently to the discussions behind him, without saying a word in agreement.
However, he did have some doubts in his heart.
We're both exceptional talents, so in what way am I inferior to you?
When people are outshone by Han Xuanji, their first thought is why the other person is so powerful. They don't admit that they are too weak, but instead suspect that the other person has "opened up" (i. e., mastered something).
It's just that the opening wasn't very large, which only aroused some suspicion.
Han Xuanji withdrew his gaze from the square, turned to look at Zhou Yuan, and asked:
Do you have any leads?
The cultivators occupied different areas of the square. Some searched among the ruins, some squatted on the ground studying the half-damaged pillars, and a few even tried to communicate with Thunder Spirit.
Without exception, everyone's face was filled with the same expression.
No progress.
"Judging from their appearance, they don't seem to be faking it."
Lan Miao frowned, crossed her arms, and leaned against a charred stone pillar behind her, her tone tinged with confusion and resentment:
"Could it be that the villagers from Thunder God Village lied and deliberately led us here?"
He shook his head as soon as he spoke, denying the guess.
"It shouldn't be that bad. If they dared to play us, wouldn't they be afraid of so many people coming back to settle scores with them? I don't think those villagers, though they might have some ulterior motives, are the kind of people who would dare to tell such a blatant lie."
"You're right, they probably didn't lie, but they may have been withholding some crucial information."
Han Xuanji spoke slowly, his gaze falling on the dilapidated main hall in the center of the ruins.
"Or rather, they themselves don't know where the real secret is hidden."
These villagers are descendants of survivors from the fall of the Thunder Kingdom, their lineage broken for countless generations. The 'ruins of the Thunder God Hall ' they speak of, passed down through generations, is likely just a vague location, not a precise one.
He paused, his brow furrowing slightly, a hint of barely perceptible confusion in his voice.
"But I always felt something was off, like something was missing."
There was another, more direct point of suspicion that he didn't mention.
Since he stepped into these ruins, the system has remained completely unresponsive.
If this ruined Thunder God Hall before us is truly the core location where the Ten Directions Holy Lord sealed the Great Dao of Thunder, how could it not even be considered a checkpoint?
The only explanation is that this ruin is not the real Thunder God Hall; the true core area is hidden elsewhere.
Zhou Yuan had been deep in thought ever since Lan Miao asked his first question. His gaze lingered on the wandering Thunder Spirit in the ruins for a long time, then slowly swept across the entire square along their aimless movement, finally landing on the half-collapsed main hall at the end of the square.
He didn't hear a single word of Han Xuanji and Lan Miao's conversation. The scattered fragments of inherited memories in his mind were rapidly piecing together, and countless clues converged like streams, ultimately pointing in the same direction.
Suddenly, he raised his head sharply, a look of sudden realization flashing in his eyes.
"This place might not be the real Thunder God Hall."
Zhou Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was as certain as if he were stating a fact that had been verified countless times.
Lan Miao paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked in return:
"Not the real Thunder God Hall? Then what are these ruins? Didn't those people from Thunder God Village say that their ancestors have always called this place the ruins of the Thunder God Hall?"
Zhou Yuan shook his head, pointed to the aimless Thunder Spirit wandering in the ruins, and said with increasing certainty:
"The very existence of these Thunder Spirit is a problem."
He pointed to a group of Thunder Spirit behind the ruins and said:
"These Thunder Spirit didn't come from nowhere; there must be a place here that is the source of their existence."
Han Xuanji looked in the direction Zhou Yuan was pointing and indeed sensed that the new Thunder Spirit did not seem to originate from the Thunder Spiritual Qi in this place, but rather appeared out of thin air, as if it had emerged from another space.
" Zhou Yuan is probably right. It seems the real entrance to the Thunder God Hall should be located somewhere within these ruins."
He said this in a calm tone, but he already knew what was going on.
Zhou Yuan's judgment coincided with his own; this place was definitely not the real Thunder God Hall.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go find it right away!"
Lan Miao immediately perked up and was about to go look for it.
Han Xuanji was also impressed by this senior brother; he seemed quite intelligent, so why wasn't he very bright?
If it were that easy to find, all these people wouldn't be here.
Han Xuanji raised his hand and made a gesture to Lan Miao, indicating that she should calm down.
His gaze swept over the cultivators still searching the plaza, and he slowly said:
"It's likely that someone discovered this secret before we did."
Chi Yuan hasn't shown up yet; he must have known by now.
Upon hearing this, Lan Miao became even more anxious:
"Then what are we waiting for? Now that Chi Yuan has already gone in, if we don't follow, won't he beat us to it?"
"If these Thunder Token are truly limited in number and someone else gets them all, we're doomed!"
Han Xuanji didn't reply, but just glanced at Zhou Yuan.
After pointing out Thunder Spirit's strange behavior, Zhou Yuan fell silent again, his brows furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line, as if he was hesitating about something.
Han Xuanji could tell that Zhou Yuan must have a way to find the real entrance.
But he hesitated to speak, simply because he was worried about one thing: there were too many people.
And now, countless eyes are secretly watching the three of them.
Even if they find the real Thunder God Hall, they won't be able to hide it from so many cultivators present.
When they finally find their destination after all their hard work, it all turns into a thankless task, and no one would be willing to accept that.
Han Xuanji, however, didn't care.
Anyway, he can sign in; as long as he goes, he's guaranteed to make a profit.
Besides, can anyone really take everything from him?