Chapter 892: The Wooden Sword Forges a New Path
"A Spirit of Heaven and Earth is bound by its celestial duty," the white-haired man said in a low voice. "Unless it's destroyed by someone, it would never simply vanish before fulfilling its purpose."
The black-robed cultivator froze for a moment, not immediately grasping why the man had suddenly brought up the topic.
A moment later, however, a look of realization dawned on him. "Brother Zhan," he said, his voice tinged with uncertainty, "are you suggesting the same organization is behind both incidents?"
"Surely not," the black-robed cultivator frowned. "To destroy a Spirit of Heaven and Earth without drawing the Immortal Alliance's attention... That kind of power is..."
The white-haired man, Zhan, gave a wry smile. "Don't you find it odd, Brother Xiang? Your family only discovered the Gale Grotto-Heaven a short time ago. How could a group of outsiders possibly have known about it?"
"Honestly, a mere Nascent Soul grotto-heaven is nothing to fuss over. The real issue is the capability it demonstrates. That's what's so unsettling."
"I've heard the Immortal Alliance is taking this matter very seriously. They say a Dharma Transmitter has even stepped in," the white-haired man added, his expression turning grim.
The black-robed cultivator was aghast. "What? Why such a drastic response?"
The man, whose tone had been tinged with arrogance just moments before, grew visibly tense at the mention of the words "Dharma Transmitter."
"As you know, Brother Xiang, my father serves in the Heaven Controlling Division. So..." The white-haired man let his words hang in the air.
The black-robed cultivator nodded, his mind racing as he weighed the implications. RA(N0/BES
Zhan watched his friend, holding back parts of the story he hadn't yet shared.
The Heaven Controlling Division was a clandestine organization within the Immortal Alliance, tasked with observing and monitoring the Spirits of Heaven and Earth, as well as any disturbances in the Heavenly Principles.
It did not appear on any official roster, and only a select few cultivators were even aware of its existence.
The Spirits of Heaven and Earth were directly tied to the combat strength of Dao Integration cultivators.
Each one was critically important, so it stood to reason that the Immortal Alliance would want to keep them under close supervision.
The Division strove to bring every Spirit of Heaven and Earth under its watch, and its efficiency had grown steadily over the years. While they hadn't achieved total coverage, nearly a third of all known Spirits in the world were now registered in their archives.
This registry was arguably one of the Immortal Alliance's most precious assets.
And yet, this was merely a secondary duty for the Heaven Controlling Division.
The Division's true purpose was to constantly monitor for any trace of disturbance in the Heavenly Principles.
Even though the Heavenly Principles had remained largely unchanged for millennia.
But the Heaven Controlling Division had to remain ever vigilant, never letting its guard down for a single moment.
The Heavenly Principles were like a colossal, intricate web, its threads weaving together the very Heavenly Dao of the Xuanhuang Realm.
There were the Long Life Celestial Venerables, who defied the Heavenly Principles and, in doing so, became part of the great web itself.
The process of reversing these principles would inevitably cause the threads of this great web to vibrate.
This, in turn, sent out ripples of fluctuations.
The greater the degree of reversal, the stronger the resulting fluctuations.
By this method, they could detect if a cultivator was in the process of reversing the Heavenly Principles to attain the stage of Longevity.
If such a disturbance was ever detected, they were required to immediately ascertain the identity of the cultivator responsible.
If the cultivator was neutral, it was manageable.
But if the individual belonged to the Five Elders Council, the Division had to use any means necessary, at any cost, to prevent them from succeeding.
...
These details about the Heaven Controlling Division flashed through Zhan Fei's mind.
He felt no particular fondness for the organization he was about to join, despite his father having stressed its importance to him countless times.
After all, once a person joined the Heaven Controlling Division, they were destined to spend the better part of their life sitting before that monotonous instrument.
A day off might not come even once a century.
That kind of life...
Unfortunately, the appointment to the Heaven Controlling Division was not his to refuse.
Zhan Fei glanced at his friend, a flicker of envy passing through him.
There were certainly worse things than being a big fish in a small pond.
But the black-robed cultivator, Xiang Zengqiang, was oblivious to his friend's inner thoughts.
He pondered and hesitated for a long while before finally reaching a decision.
He would first uncover the identity of the cultivator who had stolen the Gale Grotto-Heaven, but he would not act rashly.
He would wait to see what move the Heaven Controlling Division made first.
...
The Congyun Sea.
Back on Haixuan Island, Ji Shaoli was initially unaware that he had drawn someone's attention.
However, after handling the various affairs of the Mutual Aid Association, he received an anonymous message.
"Daoist Ji, have you had some trouble with the Xiang family from Juchao Prefecture? I've seen people from that direction quietly asking about you."
Ji Shaoli's expression was unreadable. "Juchao Prefecture?"
His brow furrowed.
His only connection to Juchao Prefecture, he realized, was the Gale Grotto-Heaven he had recently absorbed.
He instantly understood how he might have offended them.
After a quick search for information, Ji Shaoli felt a sense of relief.
The Xiang family was merely a local power in Juchao Prefecture, with only a single Dao Integration cultivator presiding over them.
Even if they came looking for trouble, Ji Shaoli was not the least bit afraid.
"Still," he mused, "it's best to be prepared."
A glint appeared in Ji Shaoli's eyes.
...
Heavenly Sword Sect Ruins, the Sword Tomb.
Li Fan, deep in contemplation, was suddenly jolted from his focus.
It wasn't because of the potential danger his clone faced, but because, inexplicably, he could no longer sense anything from the wooden sword—the embodiment of the Sword itself.
Li Fan glanced around.
He realized he wasn't the only one affected.
The thousands of ancient blades in the Sword Tomb also seemed to have lost their connection to the Sword.
Their slightly bowed blades straightened, as if in a state of utter confusion.
Li Fan stared intently at the wooden sword. "Is this a change from within? Has it lost all of its spiritual essence?"
"No," he quickly concluded, "this is only temporary."
He soon discerned the truth of the matter.
He made no sudden moves, simply observing the wooden sword and waiting patiently.
Sure enough, after a mere fifteen minutes, the wooden sword regained its magnificent presence as a Heaven's Wonder.
Brimming with the profound mysteries of the sword, it once again commanded the fealty of the thousands of blades around it.
The question was...
what had happened during those fifteen minutes?
Li Fan's interest was instantly piqued.
He resumed his contemplation of the Dao of the Sword, all the while waiting for the next "blackout" to occur.
After several days of continuous observation, Li Fan discovered a pattern.
At regular intervals, the wooden sword would lose its spiritual essence for precisely fifteen minutes.
During this period, the thousands of ancient blades in the Sword Tomb would also lose their connection to the Sword.
All except for one.
Thanks to the Transformation Dao Stone in his mind, Li Fan was able to perfectly record the reaction of every single sword and compare them, one by one.
That was how he discovered the anomaly.
Having locked onto his target, Li Fan moved to its side the next time the "blackout" occurred.
It was an unremarkable, dust-covered black sword.
Plain and unadorned.
It possessed neither a sharp edge nor any intricate patterns.
It looked like the first practice piece of a blacksmith's apprentice—ordinary, perhaps even a little clumsy.
And yet, it was this very sword that had earned the favor of the wooden sword, the Heaven's Wonder.
If the scene of thousands of swords bowing in reverence could be called a group lecture by the wooden sword...
...then the "blackout" periods were the equivalent of a private lesson, given exclusively to this one black sword.
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