Chapter 538: The True Target

Chen Mobai: "Does forming the Nascent Soul always require external aid?"

Gongsun Jielu: "Throughout the history of the Immortal Sect, Patriarch Yuanyang is considered the only one who formed his Nascent Soul without using any spiritual objects. However, even he needed a realm gate to send him to the Lunar Star before his core could shatter and the Nascent Soul emerge."

Chen Mobai: "What about practitioners of the Evergreen Art?"

Gongsun Jielu: "Even cultivators who have mastered the Evergreen Art wouldn't reject spiritual elixirs for Nascent Soul formation. There are some thresholds you simply cannot cross without taking elixirs, no matter how many times you try."

Chen Mobai listened, his expression showing sudden realization. This was the first time he had learned such details.

Then, he smiled faintly and uttered a sentence that left Gongsun Jielu stunned.

"Then, I'll try to be the first."

The first what?

To form a Nascent Soul purely by himself, without relying on external aids?!

Are you insane!

Do you think you're Patriarch Yuanyang?! He possessed the Innate Pure Yang Body, cultivated by divine arts into an immortal spiritual root—the most heaven-defying talent, with profound foundations and exceptional aptitude. He was, without a doubt, the greatest figure in the Immortal Sect's history, unparalleled throughout all ages!

You may be hailed as having the potential for Spirit Transformation, but compared to Patriarch Yuanyang, your gap isn't just a small one... Wait... This guy in front of me... it seems... it looks like...

At this thought, Gongsun Jielu suddenly remembered that Chen Mobai was cultivating the Pure Yang Scroll, revised by Patriarch Yuanyang himself.

If he truly perfected the Pure Yang Dharma Body, it was possible to refine his aptitude to be comparable to a fraction of Patriarch Yuanyang's.

That is to say, he would cultivate a Post-Heaven Pure Yang Body, though inferior to the Innate.

But even so, it would still be an extraordinary, top-tier talent.

In that case...

His statement didn't sound like boasting at all!

Upon realizing this, Gongsun Jielu's gaze towards Chen Mobai changed.

Could this guy actually succeed in forming his Nascent Soul purely on his own?!

As this thought crossed his mind, Gongsun Jielu felt as if the Immortal Sect might be of little use to Chen Mobai.

The potential for Spirit Transformation was truly terrifying!

For the first time in his life, Gongsun Jielu, who had always prided himself on his outstanding talent, felt envy and jealousy towards a young man's aptitude.

At once, his good mood about making an arrest and earning merit largely dissipated.

Chen Mobai watched Gongsun Jielu walk forward in silence, couldn't help but scratch his head, feeling that his earlier remark might have been a bit too high-profile.

However, he had always maintained this persona within the Immortal Sect!

As he followed, Chen Mobai suddenly remembered something, and his expression subtly changed.

Wait, hadn't Master Xinjie said there was an evil cultivator in Danxia City—a reincarnated warrior from the Ascension Sect?

Yu Tianguang had been easily subdued by Gongsun Jielu, so he clearly wasn't the one.

If Yu Tianguang wasn't the evil cultivator, then why was he, a remnant of the Ascension Sect, being taken away while the true evil cultivator hadn't made a move?

Did this imply that...

As Chen Mobai pondered, he began to think that Yu Tianguang might indeed have been wrongly accused.

However, even with such thoughts, he had no way to clear Yu Tianguang's name, as the Immortal Sect operated on evidence.

When Chen Mobai followed Gongsun Jielu back down the mountain, Lin Yin was already directing the accompanying members of the Sky Mending Team to dismantle the previously arranged formation.

Lan Haitian wore a bracelet, the other end of which was connected to Yu Tianguang's handcuffs. He was personally responsible for guarding Yu Tianguang closely until their escort to Wangwu Grotto-Heaven.

After all, Yu Tianguang's identity was not ordinary; a full trial process was required before he could be truly convicted.

As Chen Mobai returned, he felt a hidden gaze briefly upon him.

However, a quick look around revealed nothing.

Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside Yu Tianguang and Lan Haitian.

"His Golden Core has been sealed by Vice-Minister Gongsun, so he can't use spiritual power. I can guard him alone," Lan Haitian said with a smile, assuming Chen Mobai was worried about Yu Tianguang escaping and bringing disgrace upon the Dancing Weapon Dao Academy.

"Regardless of the trial's outcome, True Monarch Yu has shown me kindness. I will escort him on this journey and ensure he does not suffer."

Chen Mobai chose to follow his conscience and made this decision.

As soon as he spoke, Yu Tianguang, who had been keeping his eyes closed, abruptly opened them, gave Chen Mobai a profound look, seemed about to speak, but then sighed and lowered his head.

"In that case, I'll trouble Brother Chen to accompany me on this journey," Lan Haitian did not refuse, inviting Chen Mobai to sit with a smile.

Since they hadn't anticipated such a smooth arrest, they would need to wait a little longer for the Immortal Sect's airship to arrive.

"I've always been curious about what kind of evidence would allow the Hall of Rectification to act so decisively, even bringing me along to arrest True Monarch Yu," Chen Mobai asked.

Once doubts arose in Chen Mobai's mind, he felt there was a procedural issue with Yu Tianguang being identified as a remnant of the Ascension Sect.

Within the Immortal Sect, to convict a council member of the Kaiyuan Hall, the Kaiyuan Hall must first issue an official notice to strip them of their council member status. Only then can the Hall of Rectification proceed with an arrest.

There had been cases of direct arrests of Kaiyuan Hall council members, but these usually occurred during wartime when expediency was paramount, or under the direct command of a Spirit Transformation Patriarch. In peaceful times like the present, Chen Mobai had never heard of such a procedure being bypassed.

"Brother Chen, before we arrived, we suddenly received a mysterious note," Lan Haitian replied, not directly answering but saying something that made Chen Mobai's heart skip a beat. Chen Mobai, however, maintained a poker face and feigned surprise, asking, "What note?"

"I happen to still have it; please take a look, Brother Chen."

Lan Haitian handed over the note, which Chen Mobai himself had pieced together from newspaper clippings. The latter picked it up, a look of "shock" on his face.

"True Monarch Yu doesn't seem like the type."

Chen Mobai thought for a moment, said this, then handed the note back.

However, what Lan Haitian did next greatly surprised him.

"True Monarch Yu, you should take a look too."

Yu Tianguang was naturally curious, but thinking he was innocent and needed to behave well, he deliberately closed his eyes when Lan Haitian offered the note, indicating he wouldn't peek.

But now that Lan Haitian personally asked him to look, Yu Tianguang opened his eyes.

Upon seeing it, his expression drastically changed!

"It's not me! If it were, I would have certainly subdued all three of you on the spot, not endured this humiliation. And once inside Wangwu Grotto-Heaven, under the watchful eyes of two Spirit Transformation Patriarchs, I'd have no chance of escape whatsoever, so why would I surrender?"

Chen Mobai fully agreed with Yu Tianguang's words. If he were the evil cultivator, a reincarnated warrior from the Ascension Sect, he would undoubtedly have tried to break free from the Immortal Sect's restraints and escape Diyuan Star the moment he was exposed.

"Twenty-three years ago, I carried out a mission in Danxia City. That time, I happened to work with Brother Chen to eliminate all the Ascension Sect cultists, but the target we needed to protect was taken away by a mysterious Golden Core True Monarch..." Lan Haitian recounted the old case.

"It couldn't have been me," Yu Tianguang managed to squeeze out after listening, but he also lacked sufficient evidence to prove his innocence.

"After our investigation, not a single Golden Core True Monarch from the Immortal Sect was in Danxia City at that time, so the suspect could only have been a local resident of Danxia City."

"What about Shi Qing?! Why are you so certain it's me?!" Yu Tianguang blurted out immediately after hearing Lan Haitian's words.

"Ah yes, there's also True Monarch Shi Qing!" Lan Haitian clapped his hands with a smile. Chen Mobai frowned upon seeing this gesture.

"Last month, Gu Changfeng, who was imprisoned for cultivating forbidden arts, suddenly confessed that he had copied the Soul Devouring Art for you, and that you had also cultivated this forbidden art," Lan Haitian stated.

"Impossible! I swear I haven't cultivated the Soul Devouring Art!" Yu Tianguang was about to raise his hand to make a Dao Heart vow as he spoke.

"Hold on, True Monarch Yu. Gu Changfeng also made a Dao Heart vow, stating that you definitely cultivated the Soul Devouring Art. Under the Heart-Seeking Talisman of the Hall of Rectification, it can be confirmed he was not lying," Lan Haitian stopped Yu Tianguang from swearing and said words that left him staring blankly.

"What is going on? I truly haven't cultivated the Soul Devouring Art..." When he said this, Yu Tianguang no longer had sufficient confidence.

Because if Gu Changfeng was able to survive after taking a Dao Heart vow and being subjected to the Heart-Seeking Talisman, it meant he was telling the truth.

But Yu Tianguang was also certain that his memory contained no cultivation content related to the Soul Devouring Art!

"What do you think, Brother Chen?" At this moment, Lan Haitian suddenly asked Chen Mobai. After thinking for a while, the latter gave an answer: "Is there a possibility that True Monarch Yu, without his knowledge, cultivated a spiritual sense technique that he believed to be a normal Immortal Sect method, but was actually a forbidden art?"

*Clap, clap!*

After Chen Mobai finished speaking, Lan Haitian suddenly clapped his hands, nodding at Chen Mobai with a very surprised expression.

"Excellent. That is indeed a possibility we analyzed. So the question is, which spiritual sense technique that True Monarch Yu cultivated is the Soul Devouring Art?"

As soon as Lan Haitian finished speaking, Yu Tianguang immediately began to recall. He listed all the titles of books related to spiritual sense that he had read since Qi Refining Level Seven in high school.

"Volcanic Meditation Art," "Morning Sun Art," "Spirit Governing Art," "Jade Glaze Scripture," "Rising Sun Telekinetic Method"...

Chen Mobai's heart sank when he heard "Spirit Governing Art."

"The 'Morning Sun Art' and 'Spirit Governing Art' are two directions for improving the Soul Devouring Art. Could it be these two?" Yu Tianguang said somewhat uncertainly after listing everything related to spiritual sense from his memory.

"True Monarch Yu, can you write down the contents of these cultivation methods from your memory?" Lan Haitian asked again. Yu Tianguang immediately nodded.

Lin Yin, on the side, immediately brought paper and a pen, and also moved over a table.

*Buzz, buzz, buzz!*

Just then, the airship prepared by the Hall of Rectification arrived directly above them. Since the main target had been apprehended, there was no need to conceal its massive presence.

Soon, people from Danzhu Academy noticed the enormous object hovering in the sky.

Two Foundation Establishment teachers immediately approached. Lin Yin went up and briefly explained the situation. They also saw Yu Tianguang, who was held between Lan Haitian and Chen Mobai, and their expressions instantly changed before they turned back.

"The show is pretty much over. It's time to escort True Monarch Yu away."

Seeing this, Lan Haitian began ascending with Yu Tianguang towards the airship in mid-air. Chen Mobai, seeing this, used his spiritual power to levitate the table, paper, and pen, and followed suit.

Yu Tianguang, currently unable to use his spiritual power, looked at Chen Mobai with a grateful expression upon witnessing this.

Before long, Lin Yin and the other members of the Sky Mending Team who had set up the great formation also entered the airship.

However, Chen Mobai did not see Gongsun Jielu. A faint flash of insight flickered in his mind, and combining it with Lan Haitian's earlier words, he felt he might have grasped the true purpose of this operation.

Just then, the airship began to glow with spiritual light, then changed direction and set off towards Wangwu Grotto-Heaven.

Its speed was not fast, as if it was deliberately waiting.

But to Lan Haitian's disappointment, even after flying out of Danxia City's airspace, he did not wait for *that person*.

"You weren't trying to capture True Monarch Yu, were you? You just wanted to use him to lure out the real target!" Chen Mobai asked. Lan Haitian listened, slightly surprised, then nodded gently.

At this point, Yu Tianguang had finished writing down all the contents. Lan Haitian picked them up, looked through them, and singled out the "Jade Glaze Scripture."

"This cultivation method, in the Immortal Sect's library, only contains content for cultivation up to the third layer of the Golden Core. True Monarch Yu's version, however, can be cultivated directly to the ninth layer of the Golden Core. Where did this come from?"

"True Monarch Shi Qing taught it to me," Yu Tianguang replied. "She said she achieved enlightenment of this method's subsequent stages, which point directly to the Nascent Soul, by contemplating and transforming alongside the Jadeite Parasol Tree."

"She herself used it to overcome all obstacles up to the ninth layer of the Golden Core, but she hasn't formed her Nascent Soul yet, so she only taught me the part related to achieving complete spiritual sense at the Golden Core stage."

"Cultivating this method within Danxia City's spiritual vein range, by visualizing the Jadeite Parasol Tree at the core of the spiritual vein, spiritual sense improvement is twice as effective. The closer one gets to the Jadeite Parasol Tree, the faster spiritual sense progresses, even leading to a clear and lucid mind and more agile thought."

"I truly didn't know this was the Soul Devouring Art!" By the end of his explanation, Yu Tianguang understood. He looked at the Jade Glaze Scripture he had written down, wishing he could tear it to shreds.

"Did Vice-Minister Gongsun go to arrest Shi Qing?" Chen Mobai now understood. It turned out the Immortal Sect had long known that Shi Qing was the one cultivating the Soul Devouring Art.

This sudden, overt arrest of Yu Tianguang, even deliberately letting Danzhu Academy know as they left, was likely intended to lure out Shi Qing.

"The people from Danzhu Academy reported our arrest of True Monarch Yu to True Monarch Shi Qing. Logically, such an incident occurring within her territory would necessitate her stepping forward to intervene once she knew."

"According to our original plan, as soon as True Monarch Shi Qing left that Jadeite Parasol Tree to intercept us, the restrictive great formation on this airship would activate, severing her connection with the Jadeite Parasol Tree, and then the higher-ups would move to suppress her."

"But she didn't come according to our plan, so we had to initiate the backup Plan B!"

By this point, Lan Haitian no longer concealed anything.