"Go,"

Jiang Li patted the doghead of Xiao Tian, telling it to find Gongsun Qingyue first.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Tian raised its head, its nostrils twitched, and after sniffing the air, it transformed into a red shadow, flying toward the west.

'Back then, the secret place Sister went to...'

Jiang Li watched the direction Xiao Tian was flying toward, feeling somewhat enlightened.

That secret place was where Jiang Li and Gongsun Qingyue first met; it was also where the Ochre Whip was located. Gongsun Qingyue did not go to the Tianxuan Hall. Instead, she had gone there. She naturally wanted to grasp the layout of the secret place first, allowing Jiang Li's subsequent actions to proceed without hindrance.

Despite her temper, Gongsun Qingyue was clear-cut about serious matters.

'A capable wife indeed.'

Jiang Li murmured inwardly, his figure fluttering silently towards Qiao Mountain Island, which was the island where the Sect's Seven Halls resided.

He still had much to discuss with Elder Tianquan, such as the state of affairs within the Sect, the Sect Leader, and so on.

In the late hours of the night, it was quiet within the Sect. Occasionally, the sound of footsteps would be heard, likely those of the night patrol by the Law Enforcement Disciples.

Though the Dinghu Sect did not enforce a curfew, making noise after nightfall was prohibited to avoid disturbing the clearing or rest of fellow sect members, with law enforcement disciples taking turns patrolling. Thus, while there was no official curfew, the situation was quite similar to having one.

Typically, after nightfall, the disciples would mostly stay within their rooms and would not easily go out.

Like one of the escapees, Jiang Li majestically ascended the stairs, passing by the Law Enforcement Disciples who turned a blind eye. He walked past Yaoguang, Kaiyang, and Yuheng Halls, heading straight into Tianquan Hall.

At this time, the normally closed door of Tianquan Hall was slightly ajar, just wide enough for one person to pass through, as if its master knew Jiang Li would come.

In a flash, Jiang Li entered. What he saw was a space vast like a giant's palace, rows upon rows of bookshelves stood, the number of which was difficult to count.

Tianquan was in charge of managing the literary wealth. More than half of the Sect's books were stored in Tianquan Hall for the Inner Sect Disciples to read. There were also practice rooms in the hall for studying cultivation techniques and perusing books.

After Jiang Li entered Tianquan Hall, the door slowly closed behind him. A Qi mechanism drew him forward, and he walked past the sea of books to a refined side room.

Inside the elegantly arranged room, in front of a plaque with the character "tranquility," there was a tea table. Elder Tianquan was sitting behind it, alongside a beautiful woman dressed as a scholar, who was brewing tea at the moment.

"So soon?"

Upon seeing Jiang Li, Elder Tianquan raised his eyebrow and chuckled, "I thought you and your lover would dawdle a little longer. I didn't expect it to end so soon. Nephew, doing it too quickly isn't good, you know."

Despite his scholarly demeanor, his words carried a tinge of mockery, instantly turning from a scholar into a cultured lout.

However...

Jiang Li glanced at the woman preparing tea, feeling that this was somehow fitting.

His acquaintance with Elder Tianquan was minimal, but he had quite some interaction with his disciple, Yun Qiuchi. Given Yun Qiuchi's playful nature toward her second senior brother, it would be surprising if her master were serious.

From what Jiang Li knew, the elders of the Dinghu Sect chose disciples mainly based on personal favor, selecting those who matched their own temperaments. For instance, the master of his second senior brother Feng Ziyang, Elder Yuheng, had a very straightforward personality. Except for Elder Kaiyang...

"Aren't fellow sect brother and sister supposed to spend time together without begrudging each moment?"

Before Jiang Li could speak, upon hearing Elder Tianquan's teasing, Yun Qiuchi slowly picked up the teapot and said calmly, "Rather than making jokes at Sixth Brother's expense, Master, you might want to think about yourself first. You don't even have the conditions to be clingy."

Just as Elder Tianquan was about to tease further, his face stiffened, and his words choked in his throat, feeling incredibly frustrated.

Indeed. He, who chased after unreturned affection, had no right to laugh at others.

"Thank you, Sister."

Jiang Li sat down at the tea table, took the tea, and placed it aside. Then, glancing around and noticing characters emerging on the walls of the side room, he asked, "Does the Supreme Elder have the ability to see and hear everything?"

These characters prevented anyone outside the side room from eavesdropping. Given that Elder Tianquan had held back his words until now, Jiang Li naturally deduced something.

At this, Elder Tianquan cleared his throat as if the previous awkwardness hadn't existed, and said, "The entire domain of Dinghu is within that one's Divine Domain. It's always good to be cautious."

'The Earth Deity...'

Jiang Li murmured inwardly and remembered the Divine Light he had seen before.

That Divine Light did indeed feel familiar. Thinking about it now, it indeed resembled the feeling from when he was confined in Si Fan Valley.

However, at the moment, what mattered most was not reminiscing about the past but discerning the present.

Jiang Li directly stated, "Is the Sect Leader absent from the Sect?"

This was indeed the crucial question.

Elder Tianquan replied solemnly, "The Sect Leader is indeed not within the Sect. A few days ago, Brother Yaoguang returned to the Sect, intending to request the Sect Leader's intervention to suppress Liangzhou Province, but the Sect Leader was nowhere to be found. Since then until now, the Sect Leader has not shown himself."

"For the sake of the Sect's stability, we concealed this news. Brother Yaoguang, who discovered the Sect Leader's absence, entered the Heavenly Origin Cave Heaven of the Sect to report this matter to the Supreme Elders. Unfortunately, he was placed under house arrest. Subsequently, defenses were arranged by the Yin God, and Zhu Hui'an personally came to guard the place. In the Sect, Brother Tian Ji's attitude was unclear; he continued handling affairs as usual, turning a blind eye to external situations, leaving only me to contend with Zhu Hui'an."

Elder Tianquan briefly explained the recent situation, providing Jiang Li with the answer he most desired.

The Sect Leader was indeed not inside the Sect.

From this, it could be confirmed; the Sect Leader was Ji Jiji. Ji Jiji was the Sect Leader.

Perhaps for the Sect Leader, traveling to Wushan was merely a moment's work; he could quietly travel to Wushan, rescue his incarnation, and secretly return. The entire round trip wouldn't even take half a day, and no one would know he had left.

But everyone has their moments of failure, their missteps. A situation initially requiring no arrangements had experienced a massive blunder due to a tacit cooperation between the Great Venerable and Tianxuan.

The rescue of the incarnation failed, instead getting detained in Wushan by the Great Venerable, leading to the current predicament.

Now that Jiang Li had returned to the Sect, it was time to exercise his rightful power and retrieve the Ochre Whip, which was a promise made by the elders of the Sect before. Furthermore, on his way here, he had slain several fifth-rank individuals and taken the head of Zong Zheng to prove his strength.

Now, he had the right status, just cause, and the power; nothing should prevent Jiang Li from retrieving the Ochre Whip.

"The situation looks promising, but whether the objective can truly be achieved remains uncertain."

The Karma Collection flipped through Jiang Li's thoughts, listing the incident when Ji Jiji's incarnation was cut down and the notion within Ling Wujue's Sea of Consciousness, both experiences laid out.

The Sect Leader was not within the Sect, and Yun Jiuye was also still outside, but this did not mean that there was no resistance within the Sect. Whether it was the previous Supreme Elders, the unclear stance of Elder Tian Ji, or others, there could be potential obstacles.

"The Yin Talisman Scripture, mimicking Heaven, can assimilate others' spirits. Since Yun Jiuye has a devoted follower like Ling Wujue, the Sect Leader is sure to have one as well," Jiang Li asked.

"Uncle Master, do you know exactly what this so-called Heavenly Test involves?"

To view the Form Tomb, one must first pass the Heavenly Test, a requirement Jiang Li was unaware of, and Tianxuan had not mentioned it to him.

Although the two sides were well-acquainted, Tianxuan did not know that Jiang Li had thoroughly investigated her, making it difficult, or rather impossible, for her to speak on many matters.

There were still many ways to keep a secret in this world, such as certain Dao Fruit Divine Powers, and of course, Heaven.

"You've stumped me there, as I don't even qualify to participate in the Heavenly Test," Elder Tianquan said, gazing at Jiang Li with envy in his eyes.

Being an affiliated son-in-law was not so easy to manage.

Some were enjoying food from two plates, while others couldn't even touch one.

"Sister, I do know a bit."

Yun Qiuchi suddenly spoke up, "Before our second senior brother dropped his responsibilities, he told me that whether it was the Royal Family or the Gongsun Family, to study the Form Tomb, they must pass the Heavenly Test. This Test, also known as 'Heaven's Certification' or 'Heaven's Witness,' uses ancient witchcraft to communicate with Heaven's will, allowing Heaven's will to witness one's heart and prevent disasters."

"How would he know that?" Elder Tianquan quickly grasped the key point.

"You should ask Second Brother that," Yun Qiuchi showed no deference to her master, leisurely adding, "Perhaps he heard it somewhere, or maybe, second senior brother has some kind of secret, right, Sixth Brother?"

During the conversation, this beautiful figure in men's clothing gazed pensively at Jiang Li, her dark eyes seemingly brewing some probing intentions.

It was an inquiry into Second Brother Feng Ziyang.

Perhaps this fourth sister had discovered something, or maybe Feng Ziyang had revealed something to her.

Feng Ziyang had left the Sect to show off, and the affairs he was involved with had to be handed over to someone. From the look of it, that person was Fourth Sister Yun Qiuchi.

"Could there be something between the second and the fourth?" Jiang Li speculated rather gossiping in his mind.

Simultaneously, he couldn't help but associate, "With Heaven's will witnessing the heart, it must be related to Heaven. By leaving such a message, could it be that the Great Venerable had anticipated this?"

Various thoughts flowed through his mind, weaving together key clues.

"Sister is joking, how would I know what secret the second senior brother has?"

Jiang Li naturally did not want to get involved in potentially complicated relationships and casually brushed aside the topic.

Then he rubbed his brow, sighing lightly, "Forget it, I'll go retrieve the Ochre Whip first, take what I can get my hands on first."

Retrieve the Ochre Whip, then observe the Form Tomb, and as for the Military God's Five Weapons, they would be left for later.

Since it had been confirmed that "Heavenly Monarch" Gongsun Qi was the former Ji Jiji, the whereabouts of the Sect's Military God's Five Weapons within the Sect were uncertain.

And since the Military God's Five Weapons were quite sensitive, it was better not to expose his interest in them too early.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.