"The Essence of Heaven and Earth, once subjected to Heavenly Duty, will not suddenly disappear unless it is slain by someone before its mission is pleted," the white-haired man said softly.
The black-clothed cultivator initially froze, not understanding why the other party suddenly brought this up.
However, moments later, he was slightly startled and said uncertainly, "Brother Zhan means to say, are these two incidents the work of the same organization?"
"Improbable," the black-clothed cultivator frowned, "To be able to slay the Essence of Heaven and Earth without drawing the Immortal Alliance’s attention... that kind of strength…"
The white-haired man surnamed Zhan chuckled: "Doesn’t Brother Xiang find it strange? Gale-Wind Cave Heaven has only recently been discovered by your Xiang Family. How could these foreign cultivators know of its existence?"
"To be honest, a mere Nascent Soul Cave Heaven isn’t really much. What’s critical is the capability this reveals behind the scenes, which is somewhat disconcerting."
"It is said that the Immortal Alliance takes this matter very seriously, so much so that even a Dharma Transmitter has been dispatched," the white-haired man said with a solemn expression.
The black-clothed cultivator was suddenly alarmed: "Why would they go to such lengths?"
The one who had been somewhat arrogant in his tone became nervous upon hearing the words "Dharma Transmitter."
The depth of the involvement behind this incident was indeed beyond his expectations.
"Brother Xiang knows, my father holds a post within the Heaven’s manding Hand... Thus..." The white-haired man trailed off.
The black-clothed cultivator nodded, his mind rapidly calculating.
The cultivator named Zhan watched his friend, knowing there was more he hadn’t said.
The so-called Heaven’s manding Hand is a secret organization within the Immortal Alliance, dedicated to observing and monitoring the traces of the Essence of Heaven and Earth and the Principle of Heaven and Earth.
It isn’t on the official list of organizations, and only a very few cultivators are aware of the existence of Heaven’s manding Hand.
The Essence of Heaven and Earth is related to Unity-Path strength.
Each one is extremely important, so it’s only logical for the Immortal Alliance to want to manage them.
The Alliance strives to monitor every Essence of Heaven and Earth possible, and the efficiency in doing so has been increasing over the years. Though it isn’t one hundred percent, nearly one third of the present-day Essence of Heaven and Earth is recorded by Heaven’s manding Hand.
This can be considered one of the Immortal Alliance’s most precious assets.
However, this is actually just a side task for the Heaven’s manding Hand.
The true duty of Heaven’s manding Hand is to constantly monitor the traces of the Principle of Heaven and Earth.
Even though the Principle of Heaven and Earth hardly changes over thousands of years,
Heaven’s manding Hand must constantly watch with no margin for error.
The Principle of Heaven and Earth forms a vast interwoven net that constitutes the Profound Yellow Celestial Way.
There are Immortal Sovereigns who go Contrary to the Logic of Heaven and Earth, thus being part of this web.
The act of going against the norm inevitably triggers the threads of this massive net,
Creating ripples and waves.
The greater the extent of reversal, the stronger the ripples.
Through this method, it’s possible to observe whether a cultivator is attempting to reverse the Principle of Heaven and Earth to achieve longevity.
If such traces are found, it’s imperative to immediately ascertain the identity of the cultivator going against the norm.
It’s less concerning if it’s a neutral cultivator.
But if the individual belongs to the Five Elders Organization, then everything possible must be done, at all costs, to prevent them from successfully going against the norm.
…
All this information about the Heaven’s manding Hand flickered through Zhan Fei’s consciousness.
Regarding the organization he was soon to join, he actually didn’t hold much affection for it, even though his father had emphasized its importance to him countless times.
After all, once you join the Heaven’s manding Hand, most of your life will be spent sitting in front of that instrument.
You may not have a single day off in a hundred years.
Such a life...
Unfortunately, the appointment to the Heaven’s manding Hand was not within his control.
Zhan Fei looked at his friend beside him, a hint of envy flashing in his heart.
Being a local force wouldn’t be too bad after all.
But the black-clothed cultivator named Xiang Zengqiang had no idea about his friend’s thoughts.
He pondered and hesitated for a while before finally making a decision.
First, he would ascertain the identity of the cultivator who had stolen from Gale-Wind Cave Heaven, but he would not act rashly.
He would wait and see what moves the Heaven’s manding Hand made first.
…
Misthaven Ocean.
Having returned to Haixuan Island, Ji Shaoli was initially unaware that someone had already set their sights on him.
However, after dealing with various miscellaneous matters for the mutual aid society, he received an anonymous message.
"Does Brother Ji have any grievances with the Xiang Family of the Continent of the Converging Tides? I noticed someone there discreetly inquiring about you."
Ji Shaoli’s expression was inexplicable, "Continent of the Converging Tides?"
He furrowed his brows deeply.
His only connection to the Continent of the Converging Tides was probably the Gale-Wind Cave Heaven he had devoured not long ago.
He instantly understood the likely reason he had offended the other party.
After some investigation, Ji Shaoli felt slightly relieved.
The Xiang Family was nothing more than a local power in the Continent of the Converging Tides, with only one person of Unity-Path level in the family.
Even if they came to him, Ji Shaoli would not fear them.
"Still, preparations must be made."
Ji Shaoli’s eyes flickered.
...
Heavenly Sword Sect, Sword Tomb.
Li Fan, who was deeply engrossed in prehension, suddenly awoke.
It wasn’t due to any danger his clone might face, but rather he inexplicably could not fathom anything from the [Sword] anymore.
Li Fan looked around.
He realized it wasn’t just him experiencing this.
The tens of thousands of forsaken swords in the Sword Tomb seemed to have also lost their sense to the [Sword].
Their slightly curved bodies straightened, looking utterly bewildered.
Li Fan concentrated on the wooden sword before him, "Is it a change within itself? Has it lost all spirituality?"
"No, it’s temporary."
Soon, Li Fan discerned something amiss.
Without any rash actions, he carefully observed the wooden sword and patiently waited.
Sure enough, in just a quarter of an hour, the wooden sword once again demonstrated the elegance of being one of Heaven’s Oddities.
Filled with the profound mysteries of the sword, it made tens of thousands of swords bow in submission.
The problem was...
What happened during that quarter of an hour?
Li Fan became immediately interested.
While prehending the Sword Dao, he waited for the next occurrence of the "loss of spirituality."
After several days of observation, Li Fan also discovered the pattern.
Every so often, the sword would consistently lose its spirituality for a quarter of an hour.
During this period, the tens of thousands of forsaken swords in the Sword Tomb would also lose their connection to the [Sword] in unison.
However, there was one exception!
Thanks to the presence of the Huadao Stone in his Spirit Consciousness, Li Fan was able to record the reactions of every sword before and after, and meticulously pare them.
Thus, he noticed this unique feature!
Identifying the target, Li Fan leaped over to its side the next time the "loss of spirituality" occurred.
This was a nondescript black sword covered in dust.
Plain and simple.
It had neither a sharp blade nor intricate patterns.
It was like the first practice piece of an apprenticing blacksmith, so ordinary, even somewhat unsightly.
But it was this very sword that won the favor of the Wooden Sword’s Heaven’s Wonder.
If the scene of tens of thousands of swords in the Sword Tomb paying homage to the wooden sword could be likened to a general lecture, then during the "loss of spirituality" period, it was as if the wooden sword was giving a private tutelage exclusively to this black sword.
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