Initially, when these Cultivators performed their divinations, Celestial Secrets remained hidden, leaving them completely clueless.
Suddenly, a Cultivator who appeared as a youth had his eyes light up. He was a Profound Immortal Rank Cultivator, skilled in the Dao of Celestial Secrets divination. At this moment, he believed he had found a clue.
He quickly peered into the scene indicated by the Celestial Secrets.
In a mist, a figure materialized. Although his face was blurry, his location was... this was in Lingxu Heavenly Palace?
"Not good!"
The Cultivator, appearing as a youth, was startled, realizing something was amiss.
At the same time.
In Lingxu Heavenly Palace, Celestial Secrets Branch.
Within a resplendent Dao field, an old man with a youthful complexion and crane-white hair was lecturing on the Dao from a high platform.
Every word was a pearl of wisdom, expounding on the Dao of Celestial Secrets.
He was Immortal Lord Zhixuan, the Personal Disciple of the Celestial Secrets Branch's Head, a Great Cultivator of the Golden Immortal Late Stage.
At this moment, many Disciples of the Celestial Secrets Branch were still quietly listening to the Immortal Lord's lecture, benefiting greatly.
Suddenly, Immortal Lord Zhixuan, who was lecturing, frowned and stopped speaking.
The Disciples below the platform were puzzled, and in the blink of an eye, they realized their Master was gone.
"The Celestial Secrets Map has reacted. This is the task Master previously assigned to me... Who dares to divine my Heavenly Palace Dao Child?"
As one of the top experts of the Celestial Secrets Branch, Immortal Lord Zhixuan, although unaware that the Dao Child was Han Xuanji, knew that the Heavenly Palace had already established this generation's Dao Child, simply concealing his identity.
One must know, to receive such treatment, the Dao Child's talent must far exceed his imagination, so powerful that the Sect needed to hide him.
An existence even he didn't know about, yet now, an external Cultivator was actually attempting to divine the Heavenly Palace's Dao Child.
One must know, the Dao Child's Luck is connected to the Heavenly Palace's. To divine the Dao Child, his intentions are punishable by death.
"Master has probably been alarmed. I must handle this matter properly."
Immortal Lord Zhixuan immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and dared not be negligent.
Soon, he located the mastermind.
"Pfft!"
The Cultivator, appearing as a youth, violently spat out a mouthful of vital blood. His face instantly turned ashen, and his eyes were filled with terror, as if he had seen some great horror.
"Senior, spare my life! I was instructed by Jade Spirit Sect and didn't know I would divine your esteemed Sect."
Seeing the other party quickly beg for mercy, Immortal Lord Zhixuan snorted coldly. After a quick calculation, he found it was another Cultivator misled by tribulation Qi, who would also have a connection with Lingxu Heavenly Palace in the future. He thought for a moment and let the other party off.
A long time passed.
"I'm entangled with tribulation Qi without even knowing it; my cultivation of this Dao has truly been in vain."
The Cultivator, appearing as a youth, sighed.
At the same time, he secretly cursed the people of Jade Spirit Sect for being truly despicable, harming others deeply.
Almost simultaneously, an Elder in Jade Spirit Sect, who was a consecrated Elder responsible for Elder Zhao's commission, had his natal divination compass, which he had refined for many years, shatter into several pieces with a "crack" without warning. He himself suffered severe damage to his Divine Soul, collapsing weakly to the ground.
Similar situations occurred one after another in different places within a short period.
All diviners who attempted to investigate this matter further suffered varying degrees of severe backlash.
Soon.
Elder Zhao received the feedback, his face lighting up with joy, thinking there was a result.
But it was not the answer he wanted.
The Divine Thoughts transmitted by those Cultivators, who were previously so confident, were all filled with fear and anger.
"Old scoundrel, if you want to harm me, why use such methods? I will be your sworn enemy from now on!"
"Damn it, don't let me find out who you are!"
These people were all capable Loose Cultivators Elder Zhao had anonymously hired.
"Brother Zhao, listen to my advice: stop immediately, confess your sins to the Sect, and perhaps there will be a glimmer of hope!"
"By the way, you were the one who approached me. I knew nothing beforehand, nothing at all. We are old friends, I have Elders above and children below, don't harm me!"
These messages initially left Elder Zhao baffled, until he received news from the consecrated Elder in the Sect with whom he was acquainted.
Only then did he realize that he might have truly caused a colossal disaster.
The other party was not hiding Celestial Secrets to evade detection, but simply habitually concealing his tracks. With their abilities, they simply couldn't uncover him.
His background was probably far beyond his imagination.
Just as he was trembling with fear, preparing to immediately stop all investigations and report to the Sect Master.
Suddenly.
Above Jade Spirit Sect, the originally clear sky darkened without warning.
An indescribably grand aura enveloped the entire Jade Spirit Sect mountain gate. All Disciples and Elders, regardless of their cultivation level, felt their minds tremble at this moment and involuntarily wanted to prostrate themselves.
Immediately after, an extremely cold voice, devoid of any emotion, resounded deep within the Soul of every Cultivator in Jade Spirit Sect:
"Jade Spirit Sect, indulging its members, abusing power, and even attempting to pry into the secrets of the Heavenly Palace, is unforgivable!"
Before the words finished, several figures radiating majestic Divine Might, clad in Lingxu Heavenly Palace Dao robes, descended like divine soldiers, appearing outside Jade Spirit Sect's mountain protection array.
The leader, astonishingly, was a Golden Immortal expert whose aura was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea.
His gaze swept over Jade Spirit Sect, as if looking at a group of ants.
"Effective immediately, Jade Spirit Sect's Luck will be reduced by seventy percent, and half of its accumulated resources from ten thousand years will be confiscated!
Jade Spirit Sect's Sect Master, for lax discipline, shall come to the Heavenly Palace to receive punishment!"
After the pronouncement, the Golden Immortal expert gave Jade Spirit Sect no chance to argue, directly raising a hand and pointing.
Rumble!
Jade Spirit Sect's mountain protection array, a Legacy of over ten thousand years, shattered like paper.
The entire Sect's pillar of Luck visibly dimmed and significantly shrank.
In places like the treasure trove and the core of the Spiritual Vein, massive amounts of resources were forcibly extracted by an invisible force, transforming into torrents that merged into the Void Realm and vanished.
Jade Spirit Sect's Sect Master's face was ashen. He stood rooted to the spot, not daring to resist in the slightest, only able to watch as the Sect's foundation was forcibly stripped away, his heart filled with fear and anger.
He dared not hate Lingxu Heavenly Palace; his hatred was directed at whichever blind fool had brought about this immense disaster.
In reality, Jade Spirit Sect's Ancestral Master was once a Disciple of Lingxu Heavenly Palace, so Jade Spirit Sect also had some historical ties with Lingxu Heavenly Palace. Lingxu Heavenly Palace had also recognized Jade Spirit Sect as an affiliated Sect, which allowed it to grow rapidly.
Jade Spirit Sect's Sect Master also had an Elder from Lingxu Heavenly Palace as his backer, but regarding this matter, his backer should have been completely unaware and had not informed him beforehand.
And when he sent messages, the other party did not reply.
He didn't know if they hadn't seen it, or if they were unwilling to respond.
He didn't even know who he had offended.
The only thing he could confirm was that the person he had offended had an extremely powerful background.
Even long after the Heavenly Palace envoys departed, Jade Spirit Sect remained utterly silent, all Disciples immersed in immense fear.
"Damn it, who did this?"
Jade Spirit Sect's Sect Master's face was livid; he was determined to find the culprit.
After this incident, Jade Spirit Sect suffered a devastating blow, not only losing face but also severely depleting its Origin Qi.
Soon, someone reported the matter concerning Elder Zhao.
Elder Zhao, who had witnessed everything, was distraught, knowing there was no escape for him.
Jade Spirit Sect would pursue him to the ends of the earth.
He thought about committing suicide, but he could never bring himself to do it.
When the Sect's enforcement Cultivators arrived, Elder Zhao's cultivation was directly sealed by a force, and he was taken away like a dead dog.
At the same time, some people in Jade Spirit Sect quickly discovered that a faction, originally quite influential within Jade Spirit Sect, was directly uprooted and vanished without a trace.
Deeper rumors quietly circulated: it seemed that Elder Zhao had provoked a powerful figure from Lingxu Heavenly Palace.
But no one dared to pry into the secrets, fearing they might know too much.
For a time, all potential probing gazes quickly retracted, relevant records were completely sealed, and everything related to this became an unspoken taboo topic within Jade Spirit Sect.