Chapter 2544: 蛛丝马迹

"Could it be Houtu who's orchestrating all this from behind the scenes...?" The thought suddenly popped into Zu An's mind, startling him.

But the whole matter was indeed suspicious. He had entered this world because he was helping the future Houtu collect the authority tokens of the Six Paths, and it was highly probable that the Mermaid Queen had also been sent here by her.

Previously, the Chang clan had died mysteriously. If it was due to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, she couldn't possibly have failed to notice, yet she said nothing and even told them not to interfere.

If she wasn't the culprit, what motive would she have to conceal this matter?

The more he thought about it, the more he broke into a cold sweat.

"What's wrong?" the Mermaid Queen asked with concern, noticing his pale face.

"Nothing, just thinking about some unpleasant things," Zu An forced a smile, hoping he was overthinking it. After all, given Houtu's status, she would have no motive for such an act.

He turned to the Goddess of Wushan: "Goddess, would it be too much trouble for you to report what happened here to the Heavenly Court and ask them to investigate?"

He wasn't some kind of savior from an American blockbuster. For such a heinous event, official organizations should handle it; there was no need for a lone operator like him to worry.

In his view, this could absolutely not be an official plot by the Heavenly Court. Any official entity must maintain a positive moral standing, and such actions would shake their very foundations.

Conspirators resorted to schemes precisely because they couldn't act openly. Therefore, once the powerful figures of the Heavenly Court intervened, resolving this matter shouldn't be too difficult.

The Goddess of Wushan hummed in agreement, her slender fingers writing in the air, just as she had when reporting Bao Jiang's demise.

However, just as the information was about to be sent to the heavens after being written, the characters suddenly flickered erratically, then extinguished completely under their gaze.

The Goddess of Wushan's expression changed. "The Heavenly Emperor previously severed the connection between heaven and earth. The laws between heaven and earth are somewhat chaotic now, so it might be impossible to contact the Heavenly Court for a while."

Zu An hadn't anticipated this complication. He said in a deep voice, "It seems we'll have to investigate ourselves then. I'm not familiar with many things in this world, Goddess. Do you have any clues based on these findings?"

The Goddess of Wushan looked at him curiously, not understanding what he meant by "not familiar with this world." Nevertheless, she replied with some embarrassment, "I've lived alone on Wushan for many years and don't interact with outsiders, so I don't know much."

Zu An was speechless.

So, she was essentially a reclusive otaku from the xianxia world. That would make things difficult.

"But we can ask someone," the Goddess of Wushan's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Who?"

"The Six Kai Ming Witches!"

Zu An then remembered that the Six Kai Ming Witches had told him to find Bao Jiang, and when they met the Goddess of Wushan, their attitude became much friendlier after learning this, clearly indicating they were friends.

The Goddess of Wushan quickly led Zu An and the Mermaid Queen back to Wushan. "You two should rest at my place first."

Any outsider would have been extremely surprised, as no one had ever heard of her inviting guests to her cave dwelling in all these years.

The Mermaid Queen asked, a little confused, "Oh, aren't you notifying the Six Kai Ming Witches?"

The Goddess of Wushan smiled faintly and pointed casually at the distant clouds. "Those clouds will help me relay messages."

Zu An was greatly impressed. It seemed her connection with clouds and mist was indeed profound, which explained why there was an idiom in his past life called "Wushan Yunyu" (Wushan clouds and rain).

The Mermaid Queen, meanwhile, was captivated by her recent smile. The goddess possessed a charming and alluring face, yet her demeanor was distinctly aloof. These two contrasting qualities merged perfectly, even enthralling a woman like herself. If she were to show even slight favor to any man, he would surely fall for her instantly.

While she marveled, the Goddess of Wushan was also observing her, thinking to herself that this was the first time in many years she had seen such a beautiful woman.

She heard the Mermaid Queen was the Saintess of the Chang clan, which meant she belonged to the Witch Tribe. When did women from the Witch Tribe become so beautiful?

Even among the famous celestial maidens in heaven, it seemed few could compare to her.

Before they knew it, they arrived at the foot of Goddess Peak. The Goddess of Wushan flicked her sleeve, and a cloud floated gently towards them. Then she gestured for the two to step on.

Zu An and the Mermaid Queen lightly stepped onto it, finding it as soft as cotton underfoot, yet not as fragile as they might have expected.

Soon, the cloud carried the three of them upwards. Before, they had only admired Goddess Peak from a distance, but now, experiencing it up close for the first time, they saw that the entire peak was exceptionally graceful. Compared to the vast surrounding mountains, the peak evoked the feeling of a slender waist, as if it could be encircled by a single hand.

From afar, Wushan had always seemed shrouded in mist, but now they realized that a waterfall cascaded down from the peak, its splashing water transforming into the surrounding clouds and fog.

The Mermaid Queen, being of the sea race, was particularly sensitive to water. She quickly realized that the waterfall wasn't ordinary water but condensed spiritual energy.

Zu An's experience studying the "Di Tian Sui Chan Wei" allowed him to see even deeper: this spiritual energy waterfall was like a dragon vein, complementing Wushan itself and forming a unique protective force.

Any external invasion would easily provoke a thunderous counterattack.

Fortunately, the goddess had actively invited them this time; otherwise, no one else could have entered.

The mountaintop was covered in exotic flowers and rare plants, truly as beautiful as the two women beside them.

Around the mountaintop, the clouds and mist grew thicker, forming a sea of clouds that stretched level with the sea of flowers. With dusk approaching, golden sunlight scattered through the mist, combining with the adjacent flowers to create a truly spectacular scene of glowing clouds and shimmering flora, captivating them so much that they were reluctant to look away.

Zu An couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder the goddess rarely leaves her abode. It would indeed be hard to part with such beauty."

The Goddess of Wushan smiled slightly. "If Young Master likes it here, you could stay for a while..."

Mid-sentence, she suddenly realized her impropriety. The setting sun cast a blush on her cheeks, but it was hidden within the soft light. Only when she turned did the full flush of evening glow spread from her nape.

Zu An was stunned. She usually appeared so aloof, which was the biggest difference between her and Manman, but at this moment, her shy expression was almost identical to Manman's.

The Mermaid Queen, standing nearby, felt a pang of jealousy. "I'm still here," she thought. "Do you really have to be like this in front of me?"

Fortunately, at that moment, the Six Kai Ming Witches arrived, easing the awkwardness among them.

Hearing the voices of the Six Kai Ming Witches, the Goddess of Wushan quickly waved her hand, and the clouds in mid-air formed a screen, allowing them to communicate as if on a video call.

The Six Kai Ming Witches weren't surprised; the goddess had always been so aloof.

They were, however, somewhat surprised to see Zu An and the Mermaid Queen beside her. When had the goddess ever allowed others onto her peak in all these years?

The Goddess of Wushan quickly gave a brief account of what they had discovered in the cave earlier.

The Six Kai Ming Witches were greatly shocked:

"To think such a depraved individual exists!"

"We must find this villain."

"Everyone must destroy them!"

"Unfortunately, the laws between heaven and earth are chaotic now, so we can't contact Houtu."

As they chattered amongst themselves, a cloud delivered the metal fragment they had found earlier.

"Can you all discern anything from this?"

Hearing the goddess's inquiry, the Six Witches immediately perked up. After examining it, they quickly concluded: "Its texture is extraordinary. This seems to be... no, it must be from Shouyang Mountain. Only they possess this special kind of copper!"