Chapter 969: Going Back to Undergo the Tribulation

Originally, there had been two Moon Realm fragments. Now, however, only one remained within the Sky Thunder Stone!

He then recalled his intention to give one to Chen Siling, who had declined, fearing that Moon Venerable might exploit the Moon Realm to seize any remaining fragments. At that time, he remembered casually tucking it into his sleeve.

He quickly fumbled in his sleeves, but they were empty. Jiang Fan’s heart skipped a beat.

“Did the Moon Realm fragment fall out?” he wondered. “Did it drop somewhere among the ten thousand spaces of the Ancient Path to Heaven? Or did it fall when the ancient demonic mirage clone shook me in mid-air?”

But the Ancient Path to Heaven had vanished. Where would he even begin to look?

His expression instantly turned grim.

Upon learning of it, Consort Yunxia’s expression also grew serious: “If it merely fell somewhere among the stone steps of the Ancient Path to Heaven, that would be manageable.” She continued, “But if it was picked up by a disciple from an outer-realm divine sect, that would cause endless trouble.”

“From now on, they would be able to monitor all your team’s communications.”

This was precisely Jiang Fan’s concern. With a grim look in his eyes, he said, “I hope no one picked it up.”

“If someone did, I’ll find a way to track them down.” He then added, “Let’s return to the continent first.”

“I should spend some time with Lingshu and, while I’m at it, make the final preparations for my tribulation.” Consort Yunxia’s eyes brightened slightly.

After the arduous battle on the Ancient Path to Heaven, Jiang Fan had finally regained his composure. Her hand, which was linked through Jiang Fan’s arm, tightened slightly. “Yes! Let’s go back; everyone is waiting for you.”

Meanwhile.

A jade fragment, emitting a hazy moonlight, lay quietly on the ground.

Debris was scattered all around. Above this location had once been the end of the Ancient Path to Heaven, the vast bronze land.

A gentle breeze swept through, and all the debris on the ground was carefully collected. The luminous jade fragment was then gently picked up by a hand as white as solidified fat, smooth as jade.

Reflected on the fragment was the silhouette of a beautiful woman. Faintly, a white halo seemed to flash behind her.

At the entrance to the Ancient Path to Heaven. The Grand Yin Sect Master’s face was dark as he demanded, “Who exactly is this number eight hundred eighty-eight?”

“My disciples were about to reach the summit first, but he surpassed them!”

The Hall Master of the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall also maintained a composed expression as he surveyed the experts from the other major sects. “Which sect’s disciple is this? Everyone, just admit it,” he urged. “There’s no shame in cultivating secret disciples.”

“My Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall was outmatched, and I, the Hall Master, accept that. But at least let me know what kind of monstrous talent we lost to!”

“From outside the top twenty, he swiftly surged to first place in just a few hours!”

“Isn’t his strength a bit too outrageous?”

The leaders of many major sects shook their heads. “Don’t look at me,” one said. “This person’s strength has very likely reached the Nascent Soul realm, perhaps even surpassing that of an ordinary one-aperture Nascent Soul.”

“Our Jiangshan First-Class Pavilion certainly couldn’t produce such a person.” Another added, “Nor is he from my Three Pure Mountains; if we had such a disciple, we would have revealed them long ago!”

The Three Divine Sects’ Seven Great Teachings, along with all the other named sects, were checked. The result was that no one matched the description!

Venerable Chenjing found it unbelievable. “Could it be that a Nascent Soul realm expert actually snuck in?” he mused.

He re-examined the rankings and quickly noticed something unusual. Pointing to number twenty-two, who was in second place, he asked, “Venerable Qiyin, I recall you previously stated this was your disciple Yu Peiyuan, correct?”

“Her rank rapidly ascended alongside this number eight hundred eighty-eight.”

“Thus, it’s highly probable that Yu Peiyuan was carried along by this individual, making swift progress.”

“Sky’s Edge Sea Pavilion, there’s no need to conceal it any longer.”

He felt a tremor of shock.

A Core Formation realm cultivator had actually displayed the strength of a one-aperture Nascent Soul.

Even he, in his prime, was far from possessing such capability. He truly wondered how such a disciple could have been cultivated.

The Grand Yin Sect Master, the Myriad Tribulations Sacred Hall Master, the Three Pure Mountains Dao Head, and others, all converged upon the Sky’s Edge Sea Pavilion Master. “You’ve hidden quite deeply, to have such a disciple and manage to conceal it from everyone!”

“Bring him out for us to see; we won’t harm him!” “Why hide him away? Are you afraid he’ll be taken by the Dharma Seal Vajra?”

The Sky’s Edge Sea Pavilion Master felt profoundly wronged and gave a bitter smile. “You’re truly mistaken,” he said. “This person is absolutely not from my Sky’s Edge Sea Pavilion.” He then turned to the contemplative Venerable Qiyin beside him. “Qiyin, Peiyuan is your disciple. Can you explain what happened?”

Pairs of intimidating gazes converged on him.

They were all powerful experts of the six and seven apertures, and under such intense scrutiny, even Venerable Qiyin couldn’t help but feel nervous. He found himself in a predicament. “I likely know who it is,” he admitted, “but I’m not entirely certain, so I dare not make a definitive statement.”

“I need to wait for my disciple to return before I can confirm.”

He highly suspected it was Jiang Fan, having witnessed his strength. Moreover, he had also asked Jiang Fan to look after his disciple.

However, the astonishing strength displayed by this number eight hundred eighty-eight far surpassed what Jiang Fan had shown in the battle before White Horse Temple. This made him uncertain.

Just then, Yu Peiyuan returned with a happy expression. “Master, Master, I’m back…” she chirped. “Why are there so many people?”

Seeing her master and the Pavilion Master surrounded by dozens of sect leaders, she instantly felt a sense of foreboding. *Swish, swish, swish!*

Countless gazes immediately focused on her, startling her like a frightened lamb, causing her to shrink back. “S-Seniors,” she stammered, “did this junior make a mistake?”

The Sky’s Edge Sea Pavilion Master glided forward, examining her with surprise. “Yu Peiyuan, I, the Pavilion Master, ask you,” he began. “Did someone lead you all the way to the end of the Ancient Path to Heaven?”

Yu Peiyuan wouldn’t dare conceal anything from the Pavilion Master, so she honestly replied, “Yes, Pavilion Master.” “He took me to the very end, where I met that Soul Transformation senior.”

“And I even received a spirit pill as a reward.” *She even gained benefits?*

Moreover, it was a spirit pill from the Celestial Furnace—at least rank five or higher, surely? If she received a spirit pill, wouldn’t number eight hundred eighty-eight have received even more?

The Grand Yin Sect Master’s eyes gleamed with fervor. “Yu Peiyuan,” he pressed, “tell this sect, which divine sect’s disciple is this?” Their intense interest in the top spot wasn’t merely to see what the person looked like.

Instead, they were concerned about his gains! They were also eager to know if this individual had been taken as a disciple by the Heart Calamity Venerable!

Yu Peiyuan thought of Feng Yuanzong from the Grand Yin Sect. Feng Yuanzong had personally witnessed their successful ascent to the summit.

She couldn’t hide it even if she wanted to, so it was better to tell the truth and proactively resolve potential issues for Jiang Fan. “He is not from our Taicang Great State,” she declared.

Her words caused an uproar throughout the hall. Not from the Three Divine Sects’ Seven Great Teachings, or even from any of the major sects?

Instead, a disciple not from the Taicang Great State? Venerable Chenjing shook his head and chuckled lightly, asking, “Could it be that this person fabricated an identity to deceive you?”

“Such a heaven-defying talent, far stronger than I was in my prime.” He paused, then added, “If they’re not from our Taicang Great State, could they be from the continent…?”

His smile suddenly froze.

Because this time, there truly were individuals from the continent present on the Ancient Path to Heaven.