Chapter 1459: Emperor's Tomb

"Fairy Cailian, if that's the case, isn't divination useless? After all, everything is already predetermined," someone questioned.

Fairy Cailian smiled and replied, "Not at all. For example, if Fellow Daoist Sun plans to seek treasure in a secret realm, and my divination reveals a sign of grave misfortune for you, then whether you go or not, grave misfortune might still befall you. In that case, why wouldn't you prepare more thoroughly before setting off? Why not invite more friends?"

"Let me mention a fellow daoist you all know: Huang Fugui, also known as the Vanishing Wanderer. His great-grandfather divined that he would encounter great fortune upon leaving the Northern Frontier. As long as he left the Northern Frontier, good fortune would follow him wherever he went; this was the prevailing trend."

Huang Fugui was greedy for life and afraid of death, which earned him a daoist title from outsiders: the Vanishing Wanderer, a metaphor for his speed in escaping.

Some even called him "Huang the Runner," because he would flee at the first sign of danger, faster than anyone else. Whenever he encountered cultivators of the same cultivation level, regardless of right or wrong, Huang Fugui would immediately back down.

Huang Fugui's escape speed was remarkably fast, and he rarely dared to provoke Nascent Soul cultivators from major sects, so no force had troubled him.

Wang Qingshan chuckled softly. He had spent some time with Huang Fugui and found him to be not particularly annoying, aside from being a bit greedy for wealth and afraid of death.

There was a certain logic to Huang Fugui being able to form a Nascent Soul as a rogue cultivator; at least in the Eastern Wasteland, there were no rogue cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage.

"Speaking of the Southern Sea, it reminds me," True Monarch Tianfu said with curiosity, "I heard that Zhou Sihong appeared there and obtained a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure. Fellow Daoist Wang, is there any truth to that?" Talismans were the foundation of the Holy Talisman Palace, which possessed three revered sect treasures, but none were Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures.

The cultivators all looked towards Wang Qingshan. They had all heard about this matter but had no way to verify it.

The Southern Sea and the Northern Frontier were separated by billions of miles. Many events from the Southern Sea cultivation world took several years to reach the Northern Frontier cultivation world, and sometimes they were mere rumors.

There was an Immortal Suppressing Pagoda in the Southern Sea, rumored to contain a vast collection of magic treasures, even Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures. However, many cultivators had only heard whispers, and True Monarch Tianfu was no exception.

"Yes, that's true. The Immortal Suppressing Pagoda indeed holds a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure; I witnessed it myself."

Wang Qingshan nodded and recounted the entire event in detail.

"Has Zhou Sihong not been apprehended yet? Is he still at large?" Fairy Cailian asked with some confusion, her beautiful eyes filled with curiosity.

Fairy Cailian, who practiced divination, firmly believed that if Zhou Sihong were to open a spatial passage to the demon realm, it would be a disaster for the entire Dongli Realm. Therefore, whoever could stop Zhou Sihong would be someone of great destiny.

Wang Qingshan gave a wry smile and said, "He possesses a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure. Unless a Deity Transformation cultivator intervenes, no one can stop him. He is already severely wounded, and the Ten Major Sects and Ten Major Cultivation Clans are all searching for him. He certainly won't escape; his apprehension is only a matter of time."

Aside from the possibility of Zhou Sihong opening a spatial rift, the high-ranking members of both human and demon races personally witnessed him possessing a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure. This alone ensured that Zhou Sihong could not leave the Southern Sea alive; his demise was merely a matter of time.

"Hehe, a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure," chuckled a pot-bellied old man in yellow robes, his face full of envy. "If only that treasure could fall into my hands."

"If you want a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, you might as well try your luck at the Puppet Emperor's Tomb," Wu Chang said with a chuckle. "Perhaps you could obtain the Puppet Emperor's legacy. When the Puppet Emperor unified the Northern Frontier cultivation world, she refined several Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures. The Nine Nether Sect has one, the Three Flames Palace has one, and the rest are likely in the Puppet Emperor's Tomb."

After unifying the Northern Frontier cultivation world, the Puppet Emperor suddenly vanished. Her disciples and their descendants engaged in internal strife, giving rise to the Ten Major Sects. The founding ancestors of these ten sects chose a location, set up numerous restrictions, and established a cenotaph for the Puppet Emperor, naming it the Puppet Emperor's Tomb, and prohibited any cultivators from entering.

As time passed, only seven of the sects founded by the Puppet Emperor's descendants remained. The Puppet Emperor's Tomb was still guarded by personnel from the Ten Major Sects, with strict prohibitions against any other cultivators trespassing.

Despite this, some high-level cultivators still eyed the Puppet Emperor's Tomb, believing it contained Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures, and trespassed illegally.

"Even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare trespass into the Puppet Emperor's Tomb!" the yellow-robed elder said with a wry smile. "If I truly did that, True Monarch Tianfu would probably be the first to not spare me." Like the shadow of a person or the bark of a tree, the Puppet Emperor had vanished into the river of history. The Nine Nether Sect, Three Flames Palace, and Holy Talisman Palace all claimed to have inherited the Puppet Emperor's legacy. Any cultivator who dared to trespass into the Puppet Emperor's Tomb would be challenging these three major sects.

The others smiled, said nothing, and raised their cups to drink heartily.

An hour later, the banquet concluded, and the guests gradually departed. True Monarch Tianfu repeatedly urged them to stay, so Wang Qingshan and Fairy Cailian temporarily resided at the Holy Talisman Palace.

The Myriad Puppet Mountain Range was located in the northern part of the Northern Frontier, stretching for tens of millions of miles. On the outskirts of the mountain range stood a golden stone tablet over a hundred zhang tall. Carved on the tablet were the silver characters "Puppet Emperor's Tomb," with a smaller line of text beside it: "Trespassers will be killed without mercy."

The Puppet Emperor's Tomb was her cenotaph. Seven of the Ten Major Sects had ties to the Puppet Emperor, with the Nine Nether Sect, Three Flames Palace, and Holy Talisman Palace all claiming to be the legitimate inheritors of the Puppet Emperor's lineage. They all dispatched personnel to guard the Puppet Emperor's Tomb, prohibiting any cultivators from trespassing.

A patrol of Foundation Establishment cultivators, all dressed in uniform red shirts, were riding on the backs of enormous crimson fire crows. Leading them was a tall young woman in a red dress, with a hint of heroism in her brow. Judging by their attire, they were clearly disciples of the Holy Talisman Palace.

"Senior Sister Sun, the Grand Elder is celebrating his nine-hundredth birthday, and we couldn't even get a sip of wine. Instead, we're stuck patrolling this godforsaken place. I truly don't know what's so important about the Puppet Emperor's Tomb that our sect has stationed so many cultivators here," complained a Holy Talisman Palace disciple. He had initially thought that patrolling the Puppet Emperor's Tomb would be a good assignment, but after arriving, he realized it was nothing but a hardship.

"Silence! How can you refer to our Ancestral Master by name like that?" the young woman in the red dress reprimanded sharply. "If Junior Uncle Liu hears you, he certainly won't spare you. Don't speak such words again; I'll pretend I didn't hear them. There must be a reason the sect assigned us here to patrol and guard our Ancestral Master. Don't talk nonsense." They were merely Foundation Establishment cultivators; how could they be qualified to question the sect's decisions? If an enforcement elder were to hear them, they would surely face severe punishment, which was not something she wanted to see.

Hearing this, the rebuked disciple dared not retort.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, causing their spirit beasts to sway violently, nearly throwing them off their backs.

What they failed to notice was a faint, flickering shadow that flew into the Myriad Puppet Mountain Range, heading deep into its interior.