Chapter 1720: Analysis

Bai Ziqi pondered for a moment and then smiled.

The two most valuable phrases on this note were:"True Immortal Qianhuan is in seclusion.""Disciples of the Illusion Sect are trapped and cannot leave the Upside-Down Sea!"

"Ancient True Immortals usually spend ninety-five out of a hundred years in seclusion, rarely appearing in public. Sect affairs are managed by trusted disciples, who are called sect masters," Bai Ziqi said seriously. "Even if a True Immortal is in deep seclusion, they can emerge if there's an urgent matter. But now, it seems very likely that True Immortal Qianhuan has indeed had an accident, which is why he hasn't appeared."

Therefore, the one who repeatedly gave him a hard time at sea just now was probably not Qianhuan himself. If a True Immortal had personally intervened, their actions should have been much more ruthless and violent.

Why did the Heavenly Palace team come to the Upside-Down Sea? Wasn't it precisely because Qianhuan failed to fulfill his rotational duty at Spirit Mountain and remained holed up in his cave dwelling?

At that time, Bai Ziqi had already surmised that something had happened to him; the current information merely served as confirmation.

No matter who it was, "as long as it wasn't True Immortal Qianhuan himself!"

This piece of intelligence was incredibly important to Bai Ziqi. It meant the difficulty of his operation could be significantly reduced.

He murmured, "The second piece of news is even better: the disciples of the Illusion Sect also cannot leave the Upside-Down Sea!"

He asked Bai Shiqi, "Do you know what this means?"

Bai Shiqi thought for a moment before asking, "Is there a barrier?"

"More than that," Bai Ziqi's eyes gleamed. "Previously, the Illusion Sect used tsunamis and black fish formations against us, which indeed demonstrated formidable strength. It was a deterrent."

At that time, he maintained a composed expression, but in reality, his heart was heavy, deeply feeling the lawlessness of an immortal as a local master within their own cave dwelling.

"But then, they used rising land to prevent us from disembarking, and they did it repeatedly, which is very strange." Bai Ziqi asked his attendant, "Which do you think consumes more spiritual energy: raising land or generating a tsunami?"

"Hmm..." Bai Shiqi calculated for a bit, then looked up and said, "Raising land is harder."

"Exactly. Logically, the black fish formation consumes the least energy, followed by tsunamis, and raising land is the most difficult." Bai Ziqi analyzed, "The Upside-Down Heavenly Gang Grand Formation set up by Qianhuan has been out of use for a long time, so the spiritual energy concentration in the Upside-Down Sea must have decreased. We haven't even engaged the Illusion Sect yet, so why are they immediately unleashing these super energy-consuming, large-scale divine powers?"

The so-called moving mountains and filling seas come at an astonishing cost. Yet, the Illusion Sect not only summoned tsunamis twice and altered the terrain twice, but it also seemed capable of continuing to exert such power.

As far as Bai Ziqi knew, immortals were very shrewd when it came to managing their spiritual energy. There was no reason for the Illusion Sect to squander it so lavishly.

"Unless their actual consumption is far lower than our estimate," Bai Ziqi's eyes flickered. "This leads to one possibility—"

"The Upside-Down Sea is completely controlled by True Immortal Qianhuan."

"Controlled?" Bai Shiqi didn't quite understand. True Immortal Qianhuan had controlled the Upside-Down Sea for at least 150 years, hadn't he?

"What I mean is, if this entire realm is under the control of True Immortal Qianhuan or the Illusion Sect, capable of changing according to their will, then summoning tsunamis or raising land would be at least sixty to seventy percent less difficult for them. And speaking of which, turning the seawater into a viscous goo—that move also appeared very strangely."

A flash of insight struck Bai Shiqi, and he blurted out, "An illusion!"

"Precisely! We are likely already within True Immortal Qianhuan's illusion!" Bai Ziqi looked at the glowing ring again. "This ring has been continuously reminding me that the opponent's divine abilities are all around me, yet we ourselves feel nothing. Not even the Eye of Truth detected any abnormality in this sea area. Considering everything, only True Immortal Qianhuan possesses such methods."

If they were in an illusion, it would be perfectly logical for the enemy to unleash large-scale divine powers at will.

After all, an illusion isn't reality.

Bai Shiqi couldn't help but say, "But, but our last ship was just destroyed."

Bai Ziqi was still absorbed in his own deductions: "But it's a bit strange. Whoever sets up an illusion wants it to go unnoticed; yet as soon as we entered the Upside-Down Sea, the Illusion Sect continuously played tricks. Aren't they afraid I'd suspect anything?"

For a surprise attack, if you don't catch your opponent off guard, the chance of success significantly decreases.

True Immortal Qianhuan's true form is that of a mirage immortal; his ability to lure people into traps must be perfected. So why is the Illusion Sect in such a hurry?

"Perhaps this illusion is exceptionally powerful and they aren't afraid of us knowing?" Bai Shiqi was actually a little apprehensive. "Lord Commissioner, it seems the Illusion Sect intends to wear down our strength."

The Illusion Sect was acting unrestrainedly on True Immortal Qianhuan's territory, creating colossal, earth-shaking formations. Their own side was exhausted just dealing with them, consuming several times more energy than the Illusion Sect. If this continued for a few more rounds, and the divine power that the Heavenly Palace team relied upon was drained, would they have any strength left to retaliate?

Bai Ziqi stroked his chin. "Their intention is to delay, but they are subject to some limitations. It's different, after all, without Qianhuan personally overseeing things."

He immediately ordered, "Proceed along the coastline and continue searching for the next landing point."

Since they arrived by ship, they absolutely needed to land to carry out subsequent operations; being vulnerable before landing was the biggest disadvantage of this mission.

There was no other way; risks had to be taken, and losses had to be borne. If even the Illusion Sect disciples couldn't leave, the Heavenly Palace team certainly couldn't—unless they defeated True Immortal Qianhuan.

Besides, he had brought a powerful weapon with him this time. What was there to fear?

"Also, send a bird demon to fly out of the storm circle and test it."

The intelligence was easy to verify, which would help him plan his next steps.

Xiao Wencheng went out to make further arrangements, assigning Elder Liu Qingdao to stay behind and handle He Lingchuan and the others.

With an external enemy invading, the sect master was the busiest.

Elder Liu had a round face, square lips, and laugh lines around his eyes, making him seem approachable. He was Xiao Wencheng's junior disciple and had been with Qianhuan for over two thousand three hundred years.

Such an age would astound most people outside. However, He Lingchuan also had an ancient spider immortal, Granny Zhu, by his side, who was even older than Elder Liu, so He Lingchuan managed to conceal his surprise well.

To be honest, the first time he saw a living immortal in the real world was after entering the Upside-Down Sea.

Either he saw none at all, or he saw seven or eight at once.

Elder Liu returned to the quiet room, closed the door, and said to He Lingchuan and the other two, "We still have a little time. I'll tell you about the Immortal Venerable."

Compared to Xiao Wencheng and the other sect masters, Elder Liu's attitude could be described as amiable, with less of an air of superiority.

He Lingchuan had been waiting. "I'd like to hear the details."

"Since you are guests from Spirit Mountain, I won't hide anything from you," Elder Liu hesitated slightly. "Actually, these words were already spoken five years ago—"

No matter how reluctant he was to speak, these individuals were, after all, sent by Spirit Mountain. For the sake of the organization, if not the individuals, the Illusion Sect still needed to provide an explanation for the inquiry.

"—The Immortal Venerable went into seclusion and has not emerged since. We have tried many methods, but we have been unable to persuade him to come out."