Chapter 19: The Reason for the Establishment of the Ancient Cultivator Response Department
"Of course Shishu can do it."
Yes, yes, yes, you can do it, you can do it, alright.
"Then, Shishu, my mission on this trip is complete. I will return to report now. That old devil is insane. I plan to ask a Martial Uncle to make a move and deduce his whereabouts."
He couldn't persuade him, so he stopped trying. Anyway, this mission was already completed.
"..." The Combined Dao Grand Master frowned slightly. He still wanted Xiao Ning to help investigate, but for a moment, he didn't have a sufficient reason to make him stay. "Fine, go back if you want to."
Although he was a Combined Dao Fa cultivation, he was not skilled in deduction and calculation. Even with half of that old devil's arm, he couldn't deduce his location.
"Thank you, Shishu!" Xiao Ning Zhenren cupped his hands and turned to walk into the villa.
Actually, in the beginning, there was no Ancient Cultivator Response Department. Ancient Cultivators who emerged from seclusion in the areas governed by each Sect were all handled by the respective Sects themselves.
Until a Hehuan Sect Ancient Cultivator emerged from seclusion.
That Ancient Cultivator failed to advance to Combined Dao, and his vital energy, Divine Soul, and magical power were all depleted. Seeing that his Realm was about to drop, he directly cultivated and absorbed a city with a population of three million.
Three million people all died. However, the Combined Dao Cultivator in charge within the Hehuan Sect helped him conceal this matter because the Ancient Cultivator who emerged from seclusion was his close friend.
He even personally went to that city and slaughtered the surviving wandering lone souls.
In a city of three million people, not only were their physical bodies destroyed, but even their souls dissipated completely, with no possibility of revival.
After this, that Combined Dao Cultivator used a great Divine Ability to make people approaching the city subconsciously stay away and gradually forget everything about that city.
All of this was done quite perfectly. If it were in the ancient times, it would have likely been concealed.
However, it was just such a coincidence that at that time, Saint Emperor Yuan tinkered with something called - a camera.
In this world, which had a series of recording methods such as Profound Light Technique and Shadow Retaining Magic Treasures, the effect of cameras was not very good, so he only made a few casually.
Moreover, due to immature craftsmanship, most of the components still used the spiritual materials of this world.
The cost was high and the effect was average, so there were only a few people who bought them. However, some fervent admirers of Saint Emperor Yuan collected some.
But unfortunately, in the city that the Hehuan Sect Combined Dao Grand Master had erased all traces of, someone had collected a camera and was currently recording the beautiful moments of life with their family that day.
Just like that, the camera was left behind, and the storage component within it was swallowed by a wild beast wandering in that city.
Afterward, that wild beast unexpectedly gained sentience. As a Spirit Monster, it was influenced by the Divine Ability and left that city. Eventually, it was killed by several rogue Cultivators, and that component was discovered as a result.
After those rogue Cultivators deciphered the images within it, they directly posted them on the Spiritual Net, attracting the attention of Saint Emperor Yuan.
Saint Emperor Yuan's cultivation at that time was exceptionally high. Even the Supreme Taixuan of the various Immortal Sects were not necessarily his match. Using his Divine Ability of tracing effects back to causes, he directly broke the Divine Ability of that Hehuan Sect Combined Dao Cultivator and learned the truth of the three million people's deaths.
The evil deeds committed by the Hehuan Sect Ancient Cultivator were finally revealed to the world!
For a time, the entire Central Continent of the Tai Xuan Realm was in an uproar!
Among the six great Immortal Sects, many people were already very dissatisfied with the Hehuan Sect's attempt to whitewash itself. This incident directly became the fuse.
The Sect Leaders of the three great Immortal Sects – Sword Sect, Dragon Elephant Soaring Sky Sect, and Supreme Dao Sect – joined forces and directly attacked the Hehuan Sect mountain gate, forcing the Hehuan Sect Ancestor to appear.
However, Dragon Elephant Soaring Sky Sect, as representatives of the rough and reckless, and Sword Sect, as representatives of the relatively handsome rough and reckless, were completely fearless and also summoned their own Sect's Ancestors.
At this point, the Hehuan Sect finally compromised.
The Combined Dao Cultivator involved and the Ancient Cultivator who emerged from seclusion were directly killed by the Hehuan Sect Ancestor. Those involved were also dealt with according to the severity of their actions; some were killed, others were punished.
They also promised to compensate the relatives of the victims and agreed to a series of conditions before the matter was finally concluded.
They had no choice but to conclude it. Although the Hehuan Sect was not difficult to deal with, Huan Laozu was different. She was a figure who truly stood at the pinnacle of the Tai Xuan Realm!
After this incident, the Ancient Cultivator Response Department was established, with branches in the territories governed by each Immortal Sect and the Righteous Path Alliance. The person stationed there could not be a disciple of the local Immortal Sect, and they would be rotated periodically to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Cameras also became widely known after that incident. More and more people joined this field, eventually perfecting them to their current state.
...........
At night, Zhang Yunlu was alone on the rooftop, holding a three-foot-long sword.
The sword body was covered with a thin layer of spiritual light. The sword moves were elegant and agile, continuous and unending, but it was still obvious that the person using the sword was inexperienced.
"Hoo~"
Exhaling a long breath, Zhang Yunlu stopped her movements. The thin layer of spiritual light on the sword body had disappeared, clearly indicating that her spiritual power was exhausted.
The hair on her forehead was wet with sweat, and her right hand was sore.
She was practicing the first form of the Flowing Cloud Swordplay. She had started practicing as soon as she returned and had been practicing until now, but the result was not satisfactory. At this rate, let alone mastering it before the day after tomorrow, even a month might not be enough for her.
She was not some hidden sword dao Genius; she clearly recognized this point.
For a moment, she felt a bit dejected. She walked to the side and sat down, taking a sip of Vitality Recovery Spiritual Liquid.
"Xiao Lu." Zhang Xiu walked out from the door, holding a jade box in his hand.
"Brother."
Zhang Xiu came to her side and handed her the jade box in his hand: "I see you've reached Qi Refining Ninth Layer. It's time to give you this."
"What is this?" She took it and opened the jade box directly.
"Mom and Dad left it. They said to give it to you when the time was right."
"Mom and Dad..."
To her, this was a very distant term. She was too young at that time and couldn't remember much, so much so that when she tried to recall, she found that her parents' appearances had become blurred.
Her gaze was fixed on the object inside the jade box.
It was a red jade, shaped like a water drop, bright and vibrant, with a full luster, as if it had been steeped in the blood of immortals or gods.
Taking it out and holding it in her hand, it felt warm and smooth. A gentle warm current surged from her palm and flowed into her Dantian . Less than one-tenth of the spiritual power in her Dantian recovered at a visible speed.
"You've been practicing all afternoon. Go back and rest early. There's no need to rush." Zhang Xiu said, "I have to go out later. Remember to lock the door. Don't pay attention if a stranger knocks. I brought the key..."
He kept rambling, saying things that even a child would understand.
In just this short while, Zhang Yunlu felt that her depleted spiritual power had fully recovered.
"I know, Brother." She held the red jade in her hand. "But what exactly is this?"
"...I don't know either. Mom and Dad only said it was a treasure and told me to give it to you when you reached Qi Refining Ninth Layer," Zhang Xiu explained.
He also had one, but even though his Realm was not low, he still had no clues. He only knew that his parents' demise was related to this red jade, and those people were also coming after this.
Zhang Yunlu felt a bit complicated inside.
"Alright, if I don't go now, I'll be late. You should also rest early. You have class tomorrow."
A dark red, ancient longsword flew up from downstairs and hovered beside him.
Zhang Xiu stepped onto the sword body. As Spiritual Pressure erupted, his entire body shot into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
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