Chapter 765: It's Them Who Did It

Items that block divine sense are typically just pieces of cloth or boxes. Such items are very common in the sea market. This is the Dragon Palace Sea Market, the most prosperous market in the entire East Sea, so it’s perfectly normal to wrap goods in cloth or boxes during transactions.

Another elder shook his head. "No matter, this has already narrowed down the search. The cloth or boxes holding the Dragon Pearl won't be too large, and they'll be of such high quality that even cultivators in the Body Integration stage can't see through them."

"Cloth and boxes of that caliber are rare. The Dragon clan members we've dispatched for the search are all at least in the Soul Transformation stage. If they can't see through a particular box, it's highly likely to be our target."

The theft of the Dragon Pearl was a grave matter, and the elders mobilized every force they could to find it.

"Should we narrow down the suspect to the Body Integration stage?"

"No, the culprit is undoubtedly in the Body Integration stage, but they might have subordinates. To evade us, the culprit could have had a subordinate carry the Dragon Pearl."

"Of course, all Body Integration stage cultivators currently in the sea market must be investigated, regardless of their reputation!"

An elder angrily slammed the table. "Last time the Dragon Pearl was stolen by that old thief Buyu; now which petty thief is it this time?!"

"Alright, what's the use of saying all this now? The top priority is to find the Dragon Pearl as soon as possible, or we'll face the Palace Lord's wrath."

"Where should we look for Ancestral Dragon Grass?" Meng Jingzhou fretted. They were completely clueless about the sea market.

"We'll search slowly, let's just treat it as sightseeing," Lu Yang said, maintaining a calm demeanor.

"Oh, by the way, Junior Brother Li, have you been to the Dragon Palace Sea Market before?"

"No, I haven't."

"Alright."

Lu Yang and the three others wandered aimlessly through the sea market. They still had three days, so there was no rush.

"Hmm, the Dragon clan has temples too?" Lu Yang mused as he passed a bustling temple where both sea folk and humans came to offer incense.

"What kind of temple is this?" Lu Yang wondered, stepping inside. He found no idol, only a spirit tablet inscribed with the four characters "Yinglong Great Venerable."

Li Haoran said, "Senior Brother Lu, don't you know? This is the temple of Yinglong Great Venerable; it's very famous among the sea folk."

"Legend has it that Yinglong Great Venerable was the supreme powerhouse of the ancient Dragon clan. He controlled celestial phenomena, with wind, rain, thunder, and lightning changing according to his mood. There are also rumors that Yinglong Great Venerable was a true dragon even more powerful than the ancient ancestors of the Dragon clan."

Lu Yang thought to himself, *I have heard of an Yinglong before; his name was Ying Tianxian. He cultivated the Dragon Transformation Art and could transform into a true dragon, which is why he was called Yinglong. This was something Immortal Buxiu mentioned incidentally when she was explaining the Dragon Transformation Art.*

If nothing else, Ying Tianxian and Yinglong Great Venerable should be the same person.

With his mind full of Ying Tianxian's scandalous past, and knowing he would face a lightning tribulation upon reaching the Soul Transformation stage, Lu Yang felt a twinge of guilt and decided to offer incense to Ying Tianxian.

Lu Yang lit an incense stick and, imitating the crowd, bowed respectfully.

"Every wrong has its source, every debt its owner," he mumbled. "If you, elder, are seeking revenge, please find Immortal Buxiu."

"And while you're at it, please help me find Ao Ling and the Ancestral Dragon Grass."

Seeing Lu Yang offer incense, Meng Jingzhou and the other two assumed he was merely experiencing East Sea culture. They, too, lit incense sticks and bowed to Yinglong Great Venerable.

Unfortunately, Yinglong Great Venerable did not manifest. After another day and countless visited locations, they still hadn't found the Ancestral Dragon Grass.

"Strange, why do I feel like someone is following us?" Lu Yang frowned. He kept sensing a divine sense sweeping over the wooden box he carried, but whenever he tried to pinpoint it, it vanished.

Either he was mistaken, or the other party's stealth level was terrifyingly high.

"Did the Dragon clan detect our actions? That shouldn't be the case," Lu Yang murmured, utterly perplexed. They hadn't even found the Ancestral Dragon Grass yet, so how could they be targeted?

In the shadows, two Dragon clan members were startled.

"He found us?"

"No way. He's only in the Mid Nascent Soul stage. We're at the peak of Soul Transformation and specialize in cultivating divine sense. How could he possibly detect us?"

"Do you think these four people are related to the lost treasure?" After two days of searching, the Dragon clan had secretly identified several suspects. Lu Yang and his three companions were on the list due to their possession of a wooden box and suspicious behavior.

"Hey, did you hear what he said? He said, 'Did the Dragon clan detect our actions?' It must be them!"

"Don't get excited. It might be a coincidence. Let's observe a bit more," the calmer Dragon clan member said, holding back his companion.

The next day.

"Big Brother, this is bad! The Dragon clan has started searching the grotto-heavens!" the third brother exclaimed, rushing in.

They sent one person out every day to scout the situation and check on the Dragon clan's search progress. Today, it was the third brother's turn.

"Don't rush, tell me in detail."

"The Dragon clan has started searching grotto-heavens one by one, sparing no one, regardless of cultivation level or race!"

Big Brother frowned. "Have they gone in to search those in secluded cultivation as well?"

He had planned to use secluded cultivation to avoid the search.

"It's no use. The Dragon clan has barged into the grotto-heavens of everyone who entered secluded cultivation within the last three days. Only those who have been secluded for over three days are left undisturbed."

Records of entry and exit from the grotto-heaven exist. Those who have been in secluded cultivation for more than three days would not have left their grotto-heaven, making it impossible for them to have stolen the Dragon Pearl.

"This is trouble."

"Big Brother, what's the trouble?" the second brother asked, puzzled. "The Dragon Pearl isn't with us; they won't find anything on us if they search."

Big Brother shook his head. "We don't have identification. Normally, that's not an issue, but at such a critical time, the Dragon clan will certainly list us as suspects."

"If we're listed as suspects, how can we transport the coffin?"

"Then what should we do?"

Big Brother gritted his teeth. "We'll leave the grotto-heaven. At worst, we'll just wander around outside for a few days. The Dragon clan can't possibly check IDs on every person on the street."

"Alright."

The third day.

"It's hard to find," Man Gu sighed. It had already been three days.

Suddenly, Lu Yang felt a disturbance from the dragon blood at his waist. He stared at the four individuals from Juxuan Island walking past, a cold smile appearing on his face. "Found them!"

Clearly, these four were not subordinates of the black-robed Dragon clan. It must be that they had murdered someone and stolen the Ancestral Dragon Grass, but were too afraid of the black-robed Dragon clan to sell it.

"Follow them!"

Lu Yang secretly sent a voice transmission, and Meng Jingzhou and the other two's expressions sharpened. They had finally found it.

"Big Brother, someone is following us," the second brother transmitted. As the Four Thieves of Juxuan Island, tracking and stealth were their specialties.

"I sensed it too, but don't worry, they're only in the Nascent Soul stage," Big Brother said unhurriedly. "They are human, so it has nothing to do with the Dragon Pearl. Lead them to a deserted place and see what they want."

The Four Thieves of Juxuan Island were not afraid of Lu Yang and his companions. Lu Yang and his group also saw that Big Brother had noticed them and was deliberately leading them to a secluded area, but they were not afraid either.

The eight met at a secluded spot on the edge of the sea market.

"I don't believe I know the four of you. What do you want?" Big Brother asked, looking coldly at Lu Yang and his three companions.

The closer he got to Lu Yang, the more Lu Yang felt the dragon blood's agitation. It seemed the Ancestral Dragon Grass was indeed with them.

"You've taken something you shouldn't have. Are you truly not afraid of offending the Dragon clan elders?"

As Lu Yang said this, Big Brother relaxed by half. The other party said "Dragon clan elders" instead of "Dragon clan," indicating it was indeed unrelated to the Dragon Pearl.

"What thing? I don't know," Big Brother said, shaking his head. If anything on him could be related to a Dragon clan elder, it was that unknown grass.

But why would they give the item to four Nascent Soul cultivators? Simply eliminating the four would resolve everything.

"Not clear? You killed a Dragon clan member, committed robbery and murder, and you tell me you don't know what it is? Fellow Daoist, do you take me for a fool?"

"If that's the case, should I call the Dragon clan elder behind me?"

Big Brother's eyes narrowed. If a Dragon clan elder got involved, it might expose the matter of the Dragon Pearl.

*You can't be left alive!*

The Four Thieves of Juxuan Island simultaneously attacked, intending to instantly deal with Lu Yang and his three companions.

Lu Yang drew his sword, and sword qi burst forth, cutting a deep gash in the ground. His eyes were stern. "Are you truly going to fight?"

"That's something the Old Dragon Emperor favors. I advise you, fellow Daoist, to hand over the item, and we can all go our separate ways."

For a moment, both sides were at a stalemate.

Lu Yang understood from the black-robed Dragon clan elder's meaning that they didn't want to blow things up. A fight between their four and the four opponents would likely become public knowledge.

Big Brother was greatly alarmed. The sword qi just now was extremely dangerous; the leader was a tough opponent, not easy to deal with. It would probably be impossible to determine a winner quickly, and there was no need to fight here over a piece of grass whose name he didn't even know.

He shouldn't have taken that grass in the first place.

Although it was humiliating, he knew when to compromise. He took out the wooden box and threw it to Lu Yang. "Is it this?"

Immortal Buxiu was also curious about what this "Ancestral Dragon Grass" was. She swept it with her immortal sense and suddenly understood.

"This immortal thought Ancestral Dragon Grass was something special," Immortal Buxiu mused. "Xiaoling just started growing flowers and plants, and her skill isn't high. She grew a bunch of weeds, which made Lianyi often mock her, but Xiaoling was stubborn and insisted she liked growing weeds."

"This 'Ancestral Dragon Grass' is just the weeds that grew in Xiaoling's backyard!"

Lu Yang was speechless.

*I didn't hear anything, Senior Ao Ling, please don't come looking for me.*

With Immortal Buxiu's confirmation, Lu Yang was convinced that the wooden box indeed contained the Ancestral Dragon Grass. He immediately placed the wooden box inside the one provided by the black-robed Dragon clan elder.

The double wooden boxes ensured that no one outside could see what was within, providing absolute security.

In the shadows, two Dragon clan members exchanged excited voice transmissions.

"Did you hear that? One side wanted to rob the other, and now the other side's people have come looking for them."

"Obtained by killing a Dragon clan member, and it's something the Old Dragon Emperor likes—it must be the Dragon Pearl! They're definitely the culprits!"

"I can't believe an elder is involved in this!"