Night still hung heavy over the heart of the Hua Lineage. The eternal afterglow of the universe from the Returning Light Heavenly City pierced through the crystal dome and sprinkled down on the layers of palaces. By midnight, the magnificent and dazzling glow of the daytime had settled, turning into dark red gold and dark purple, flowing quietly between the eaves of the palaces.
Inside Hua Yin's palace, only a few old oil lamps burned, casting a dim, yellowish light. He sat alone behind a long table, the tea beside him long since cold. His fingertips slowly and deliberately rubbed the icy rim of the cup. Since Hua An and Hua Yuan had left with their orders, he had put aside all clan affairs and sat alone in the palace awaiting news.
Hua Jingmeng's sudden arrival in the Supreme Transformation Primordial Domain by Nangong Xingyun has disrupted his carefully laid plans over the years. Now, Hua Jingyun has been in seclusion for many years without any movement. To outsiders, he is just deeply immersed in seclusion and indifferent to worldly affairs, but to Hua Yin, everything about him is strange and abnormal.
Hua Jingyun has always valued Hua Jingmeng highly, even sacrificing his own Fate Soul essence to help his nephew secure the top spot in the competition. Now, Hua Jingmeng's Fate Soul is severely damaged, his cultivation has plummeted, and he has been taken away by the Nangong Lineage. The whole process has been turbulent, yet Hua Jingyun has remained silent throughout. This Ultimate calm is itself the greatest anomaly.
Outside the hall, a very subtle ripple suddenly spread through the void, and Hua Yin's fingertips, which were caressing the rim of the cup, abruptly stopped.
The next instant, two figures stepped out from the thin rift in the void; it was Hua An and Hua Yuan returning home. After entering the hall, the two immediately closed the hall door to isolate themselves from any movement inside or outside. Then, they quickly walked to the long table and bowed their heads.
"Your subordinate Hua An." "Your subordinate Hua Yuan." "Greetings, Grand Elder."
Hua Yin didn't rush to ask questions, but instead quietly observed the two for a moment. Seeing that they were unharmed, though their brows betrayed an undisguised tension and seriousness, he put down his now-cold teacup and said in a calm, even voice, "You returned faster than I expected. Tell me, did you see Hua Jingyun?"
Hua An and Hua Yuan exchanged a glance, their hearts heavy. Hua Yuan bowed first and replied, "Reporting to the Grand Elder, we did not see him." Hua Yin slightly raised his eyelids, his tone still indifferent, revealing no trace of joy or anger. "No?"
Hua Yuan dared not make the slightest mistake and immediately reported in detail about the night's investigation, "Your subordinates followed the Grand Elder's instructions and, taking advantage of the fact that all the patrolling disciples had been transferred to the East Gate and the surrounding area was undefended, quietly approached Elder Hua Jingyun's secluded palace. We used the dark gold seal you bestowed upon us and successfully summoned the Primordial Stillness Lion. After using the power of the ancient divine beast to conceal and slow down the perception of the restrictions outside the palace, Hua An and I thoroughly investigated all accessible areas inside the palace."
Hua Yin leaned back slightly, steadying himself in his seat, and asked calmly, "What was the result?"
"That's the strange thing," Hua An continued, the doubt between his brows still lingering. "Within the secluded palace, the aura of Elder Hua Jingyun's Fate Soul remains extremely clear. The main hall's meditation room, the cultivation area, and the area around the futon are all filled with traces of his essence accumulated from years of secluded cultivation. Based on these signs alone, anyone would conclude that he has been in seclusion here the entire time and has never left the palace."
Hua Yin's gaze gradually darkened, revealing a profound depth. "Continue." Hua An lowered his voice, stating the core point of doubt. "However, your subordinate and Hua Yuan have repeatedly searched every part of the hall, but we still cannot find any trace of Elder Hua Jingyun himself."
The main hall fell silent instantly. Hua Yin showed no surprise, simply raising his hand to pick up the cooled tea and taking a small sip.
Hua Yuan then added in his report, "At the time, I also had doubts, fearing that Elder Hua Jingyun was in deep seclusion and had completely concealed his Fate Soul power."
Therefore, by borrowing the power of the Primordial Stillness Lion, a faint resonance was triggered to trace the traces within the hall. The stone walls, restrictions, futons, and even all the remnants of Fate Soul left by Elder Hua Jingyun within the hall all responded with corresponding tremors, but there was no echo of life origin belonging to the living.
Hua Yin's fingers, which were holding the teacup, suddenly froze in mid-air. A glint of light flashed in the depths of his aged, profound eyes, disappearing in an instant. "So that means..." He slowly set down the teacup, each word deliberate and deep, his voice as still as silence. "The palace still stands. The restrictions still remain. The aura of his lingering Fate Soul has not been extinguished."
Hua Yin narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze dark and deep. "Only the person is gone." Hua An lowered his head and replied, "At least, that's what our two subordinates found out tonight."
Hua Yin remained silent for a moment.
He did not draw any conclusions based on this result, nor did he show any joy. On the contrary, his expression became more cautious and solemn than before. Hua Jingyun was by no means an ordinary person. Back then, he was able to sit firmly in the position of elder of the Hua Lineage and hold power in the clan. His temperament, methods, and shrewdness were all top-notch.
Decades ago, Hua Jingyun damaged his own Fate Soul essence to Hua Jingmeng, causing his cultivation to drop to the True Annihilation Realm · Initial Stage. Since then, he has been in seclusion for many years, which allowed Hua Yin to gradually plan and ascend to the position of Grand Elder.
However, if these decades of seclusion were merely a facade deliberately staged for the entire clan from a certain point onward, then the timing of Hua Jingyun's quiet departure from the clan, the destination he went to, and the reasons for his deliberate concealment would be enough to overturn the entire previous pattern, making it worthwhile for him to carefully reconsider and fully deduce the situation.
Hua Yin lightly tapped the long table with his fingertips, one tap after another, the sound gentle and steady, shattering the deathly silence in the hall. After a long while, he finally ordered in a deep voice, "What you saw and heard tonight must not be divulged." "Understood, subordinates." The two bowed in unison to accept the order.
Hua Yin's gaze darkened slightly, and he once again cautioned, "You cannot conclude that Hua Jingyun has left the clan based solely on tonight's investigation. He has been suffering from old injuries for many years, and his true strength is unfathomable. I cannot know how many secret techniques he possesses to conceal his Fate Soul and disguise his form."
"Continue the investigation secretly, but do not approach his secluded palace rashly again, and do not alert the clan leader and other elders, lest you alert him." Hua An respectfully asked, "Elder, where should we begin our investigation?" Hua Yin's eyes flashed with a dark light, his thoughts deep. "Thoroughly investigate all traces of Hua Jingyun during his years of seclusion."
"The clan's application for source medicines, the allocation of resources during his seclusion, the clan members he has contacted over the years, and the disciples on duty responsible for supplying his hall—all these should be thoroughly checked, paying particular attention to the records of personnel changes. A key comparison should be made of which years after his seclusion his Fate Soul showed any breaks or anomalies in its residual traces."
Hua Yuan instantly understood the deeper meaning. "Does the Grand Elder want to pinpoint the approximate timeframe for his quiet departure from the clan?"
Hua Yin nodded slightly: "If a person has truly departed, the passage of time will inevitably leave behind traces that differ greatly from before. There's no need to delve into where he went; first, find out when he ceased to be in the palace." "Your subordinate obeys!" The two bowed in unison to accept the order.
Hua Yin reached into his sleeve and took out a storage bag, gently placing it on the long table before slowly pushing it towards the two men. "Your actions tonight were prudent; this is your reward. Take what you need."
A flicker of joy crossed Hua An and Hua Yuan's eyes, but they didn't rashly reach out. First, they bowed deeply respectfully: "Thank you for your generous reward, Elder!" "Take it," Hua Yin said gently, his voice deep and resonant. "Remember my instructions: investigate secretly, secrecy is paramount, the fewer people who know, the better." "Yes!"
The two took the storage bag, bowed again, and then quietly withdrew from the main hall. The hall doors slowly closed, and the hall returned to silence.
Sitting alone behind the long table, Hua Yin's remaining composure gradually faded, replaced by an increasingly heavy wariness and deep apprehension in his eyes. He gazed at the tightly closed palace doors for a long time, feeling no pride, only profound apprehension. "Hua Jingyun..." His aged fingers picked up the teacup again; the tea was cold as water, reflecting the unfathomable nature of human hearts. "Where have you gone?"
... The Fourth Multidimensional Universe, the Void Dharma Realm, the Azure Wood Divine Forest.
The atmosphere here is vast and unique, quite different from the imposing landscape surrounding the Stele Forest Imperial City. Looking into the distance, the boundless sea of forest stretches to the very edge of one's consciousness. Towering ancient trees rise from the ground, their massive trunks so thick that dozens of people would need to encircle them. Their majestic canopies hang high above the clouds, their outstretched branches and leaves able to shroud large swathes of the sky, creating a scene of untamed grandeur and desolation.
The growth order of this forest transcends ordinary worldly norms. Some ancient trees rise straight up from the ground for hundreds of feet, but their crowns suddenly droop backward and grow upside down towards the earth; some giant trees have trunks that constantly split outward, with branches growing into trunks and trunks growing into branches, spreading and stretching layer upon layer, with a single ancient tree supporting a vast forest area;
Deeper into the forest, the strange phenomena become even more pronounced. Some ancient trees have roots that float and sway in the air, and their crowns are deeply embedded in the ground. The growth structure and survival order of the entire plant are completely subverted from the norm, operating according to the ancient laws unique to the Azure Wood Divine Forest.
Every ancient tree here interprets the most fundamental principle of "growth" in this world with its unique posture.
Countless intricate and profound life patterns weave and intertwine within the forest, crisscrossing yet remaining orderly and harmonious. The core Dao Path that runs through the entire Azure Wood Divine Forest is the unique "Path of Logic."
It has no fixed form or location; sometimes it transforms into an ancient forest path covered with green fallen leaves, sometimes it branches into more than ten completely different side paths halfway through, and countless paths, once they reach their end, can actually meander back to the starting point.
If ordinary cultivators rely solely on location and direction to determine their path, they will only wander endlessly and futilely through the forest. Only by comprehending the unique growth logic of each forest can one predict the Dao Path their path and move forward steadily. At this moment, all one hundred disciples of the Chi Lineage have arrived at the outer edge of the Divine Forest.