Chapter 1247: Ulterior Motive

Right at this moment, a thunderous voice suddenly rang out from above.

"Let's break through this final layer of defense! Time is of the essence, and victory is within our grasp!"

As soon as the voice trailed off, Immortal Lord Heavenly Star appeared out of thin air, looking completely different from his usual lethargic self.

He was holding a silver spear with hundreds of crimson crystals encrusted into its surface, and as he pointed it up at the heavens, all of the crystals began to glow with dazzling, red light.

The clouds up above instantly began to churn violently while taking on a crimson coloration, and immediately thereafter, a burst of dull rumbling that resembled the sound of a distant thunderstorm rang out from deep within the clouds.

Countless fiery, millstone-sized meteorites then came crashing down from above in a blazing storm, bombarding the golden light barrier before exploding into countless bursts of crimson fire, causing the nearby space to tremble violently.

Even though the golden light barrier appeared to be struggling to withstand the assault, it was able to hold itself intact as a series of golden ripples surged incessantly over its surface.

"Traitorous scum!" a Nine Origins Temple elder berated, while the other elders and disciples were also looking up at Immortal Lord Heavenly Star with furious expressions.

However, Immortal Lord Heavenly Star paid no heed to them as he continued to attack the golden light barrier below.

......

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In stark contrast with the ongoing commotion outside, the interior of the Nine Origins Palace was very peaceful, with only the fake mountains, stone trees, and other structures inside occasionally trembling slightly from the explosions outside.

Right at this moment, a silver array that was around thirty feet in diameter suddenly appeared on the ground in an intricately laid out garden in the palace, and five figures emerged within it.

Three of them were wearing black Reincarnation Palace masks, namely in the form of a wyrm, an ape, and a rabbit.

The figure wearing the ape mask was an extremely tall and imposing man, and he said, "It's just as you predicted, the deepest part of the lion's den turns out to be the most peaceful place."

"The Nine Origins Palace is the most important location in the Nine Origins Temple, and it's only accessible to very few people. Hence, anyone that can appear here is sure to be a formidable opponent, so we have to be even more vigilant and avoid battle as much as possible," the woman in the wyrm mask said, then took a slightly uneasy glance at her rabbit-mask-wearing companion.

The figure in the rabbit mask wasn't particularly tall, and he was also rather thin. His hair spilled down behind his mask in an unkempt fashion, and he was constantly mumbling something to himself.

"Spiritual sense is virtually useless here, so we'll be counting on you to guide us, Fellow Daoist Lu," Wu Yang said as he turned to someone standing behind him.

The man was none other than Lu Chuanfeng, and he replied in an uncertain manner, "I haven't been here many times before, so I'll only be able to narrow it down to an approximate. From there, we'll have to count on Fellow Daoist Gong."

A gentle, female voice rang out in response from beside him.

"Rest assured, everyone, I'll definitely be able to track that thing down once it's within my sensory range."

Wyrm 3's brows furrowed slightly as she cast her gaze toward the woman.

She was wearing a long, black dress that perfectly enveloped her elegant figure, and there was a veiled hat on her head, concealing her entire face, revealing only a section of her fair, swan-like neck.

Wyrm 3 didn't know who this woman was. All she could recall was that she had caught a glimpse of the woman's side profile under the stone arch bridge back when she had met with the master of the Reincarnation Palace in that strange space.

"Time is of the essence, so let's get going," Wu Yang said, and Lu Chuanfeng nodded in response before leading the way forward, followed by everyone else.

Not long after their departure, two more figures emerged from behind a nearby thicket of spirit plants, and one of them was none other than Mountain Master Huo Yuan of the Hundred Creations Mountain, while the one accompanying him was Chi Meng.

"What exactly is it that these Reincarnation Palace scoundrels want? Have they gone insane? Are they actually planning to conquer the Nine Origins Temple?" Chi Meng asked as she took a glance in the direction that Wyrm 3 and the others had departed in.

"If the Nine Origins Temple really were that vulnerable, then it wouldn't have held a firm advantage over our Hundred Creations Mountain for all these years. I'm afraid their objective for coming here is most likely identical to our own," Huo Yuan replied.

"You're saying they're here for that thing as well?" Chi Meng exclaimed.

"I can't think of any other reason why they would've taken such a huge risk to come here. At the moment, it appears that the distraction tactics that they've employed have worked perfectly," Huo Yuan mused.

"Mountain Master Huo, didn't you say that that thing was said to have been refined by your Hundred Creations Mountain? Do you really not know what it does?" Chi Meng asked.

"That thing was refined by my predecessor, the previous mountain master. It's said that the patriarch of Nine Origins Temple himself had personally requested its refinement for a very steep price, and it had taken tens of thousands of years to complete but it seems to be nothing more than an inanimate container with no apparent purpose," Huo Yuan sighed.

"I see. If this thing was refined hundreds of thousands of years ago, then why is it that you've only now suddenly expressed a desire to the Heavenly Court to investigate the object?" Chi Meng asked in a perplexed manner.

The reason why the Bodhi Token distribution process was made so complex on this occasion was precisely so that they could have an excuse to remain in the Nine Origins Temple for a while longer, thereby giving them the opportunity to uncover some answers.

"Back when the previous mountain master refined this item, he had also wanted to figure out its true purpose, but not only was he unable to uncover the answer, his obsession with the subject led to the emergence of inner demons in his heart and..."

Huo Yuan's voice abruptly trailed off here as a hint of resentment flashed through his eyes.

The previous mountain master had also been his master, and he had failed in his final corpse soul severance due to the hindrance posed by his inner demons. Otherwise, the Hundred Creations Mountain would've also had a Dao Ancestor at its helm, and its status in the True Immortal Realm would've been significantly elevated.

"Back then, the previous mountain master told me that the Nine Origins Temple has very big plans for this item, and he instructed me to keep a close eye on things. If the Nine Origins Temple ever decides to further refine the item into an immortal treasure, then I must find a way to uncover its purpose," Huo Yuan continued.

"What do you mean by further refinement?" Chi Meng asked.

"Back on our Hundred Creations Mountain, the item was only half refined. Essentially, it was a container filled with infinite possibilities. The Nine Origins Temple has been carrying out the rest of the refinement process in secret this entire time, and according to our estimates, the process should've been completed a few days ago," Huo Yuan replied.

"So you're saying that the Nine Origins Temple has been refining this item for hundreds of thousands of years?" Chi Meng exclaimed.

"On the cusp of the completion of the refinement process, some natural phenomena had been triggered, but they were quickly concealed by the Nine Origins Temple. However, the Heavenly Court also detected the phenomena, and that's why I immediately received a response when I proposed an investigation.

“I was supposed to have investigated this matter together with Immortal Envoy Feng Tian, but the Reincarnation Palace has spoiled those plans. Having said that, it's not exactly a bad thing to have them muddy the waters," Huo Yuan continued.

Chi Meng nodded in response, then turned to the direction that Wyrm 3 and the others had departed in as she asked, "Are we not going after them," Mountain Master Huo?

"Let's wait for a while longer. Spiritual sense is completely restricted here, but the woman wearing the veiled hat is giving off some very strange aura fluctuations, and she's most likely going to detect us if we get too close," Huo Yuan replied with a shake of his head.

Only after close to twenty more seconds had passed did Huo Yuan finally set off, with Chi Meng following along close behind.

......

All of a sudden, a dull thump suddenly rang out from beneath a fake mountain in another garden in the Nine Origins Palace.

The entire mountain was uprooted along with a large section of the ground around it, and several figures emerged from down below.

They were none other than Han Li, Lan Yan, Xiaobai, and Jin Tong, while Weeping Soul had returned to the Flower Branch domain to rest and recuperate, having severely exerted herself in the wake of the ordeal concerning the wicked corpse soul.

"Where are we right now? It feels like we're still in the Nine Origins Palace," Xiaobai mused with a concerned expression.

"Too much of the system of underground passageways has caved in, so there's no way for us to return the same way we came from. Hence, we have no choice but to return to the surface to look for a way out. Fellow Daoist Lan, do you know how we can leave this place?" Han Li asked.

"I've never been allowed entry into the Nine Origins Palace, so I'm afraid I don't know any more about this place than all of you do," Lan Yan sighed.

At this point, the transgressions she had committed against the sect were already punishable by death several times over.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he began scouring his gaze over his surroundings to try and find a way out.

"What are all of you looking so glum for? I can get us out of here!" Jin Tong declared in a confident manner.