Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

"What's the situation? Did you find out any useful information?" the Taoist asked, looking at the old crone.

With a solemn face, the old crone shook her head, which only made the other three look even more unpleasant.

"Then we have only the blood sacrifice left. Since this Immortal has left behind protective measures, naturally, they were meant to address the crisis of human extinction. As long as there's a significant amount of death, we'll surely force those measures into action. However, we absolutely must not act ourselves, or the Immortal's methods could turn against us," one of them said.

After saying this, the Taoist's eyes turned to the old crone, who, out of all of them, was the master of Illusion Techniques.

"Rest assured, I already have a plan. In a little while, you'll get to watch a good show," the old crone said with a smile, addressing the others.

In the Drunken Spring Tower, the place was already in chaos due to Zhu Ganglie's outburst of power. Lu Yu looked at his Second Senior Brother, who appeared rather despondent, and asked with a grave expression, "Do you know who did it?"

"There were four of them. One, a wild demon, left her trace unmistakably after I killed her. I followed the trail they left, but amongst them was a fugitive disciple from Mount Mao. He used a Formation to stall me for a moment, and they fled into this world," Zhu Ganglie said, his voice steady.

"It seems that the young man we encountered earlier was one of their ploys," Lu Yu conjectured.

"Most likely, these people are cunning and slippery; now that they're hiding with the essence of the Human Path's mortal world, it may take some time to find their trace," Zhu Ganglie agreed.

"But this world is a prison to them. As long as we block their way out, there's no escape for them. I, Old Pig, have all the patience in the world to wear them down," Zhu Ganglie said with a thin, cold smile.

Lu Yu looked at his Second Senior Brother in surprise, admiring his ability to come up with countermeasures in such short notice. Indeed, the former Marshal Canopy was not to be trifled with.

"Then I wish Marshal success in his endeavors. If you need any help, just let me know," Lu Yu said with a bow.

"Actually, there is something I would like to ask of you," Zhu Ganglie quickly seized the opportunity to take advantage of Lu Yu's polite offer.

Lu Yu could only reply awkwardly, "Please speak."

"It wouldn't be difficult to deal with these few characters. My only fear is that in desperation, they might harbor ill will, causing the entire world to be buried with them. I, Old Pig, make clear distinctions between gratitude and grudges. The ones I'm after are merely the few who killed my Second Sister. I've no intention of making the entire small world suffer collateral damage.

I've heard about the power of your Treasure Vase. When the time comes, I hope you can stabilize this space and prevent them from succeeding," Zhu Ganglie explained.

Hearing Zhu Ganglie's words, Lu Yu realized something he hadn't thought of before and began to look at the former Marshal Canopy in a new light. Enjoy new adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

"If that's the case, Lu Yu dares not disobey. Marshal, rest assured," Lu Yu declared.

"Good, let's agree on this. I'm eager to see what tricks these little thieves can come up with," Zhu Ganglie said, looking out of the Drunken Spring Tower, as if through the void, he could see the despised faces of his adversaries.

That day, the incident at the Drunken Spring Tower spread throughout the entire Banished Immortal City. In such a closed-off small world, the slightest stir would quickly spread through the city, for gossip is in human nature.

Regarding this unexpected event, opinions were divided. Some said it was a peerless master dueling at Drunken Spring Tower, others thought the Black Fiend Guard were suppressing demons, and there were those who firmly believed that an Immortal had descended to the mortal realm.

This plethora of news spread like a whirlwind, sweeping through the entire city in an instant and becoming the talking point of everyone's mealtime chats.

At the same time, news had also reached the City Lord's Manor.

In a secluded corner on the east side of the City Lord's Manor was a small courtyard. The yard was not large, and a strong scent of medicine wafted from it.

Inside the courtyard was a single room, modest in size, but its decorations and furniture were exquisite and clearly well thought out.

In that room, a young man dressed in a black robe, with a pale face and thin frame, was listening intently to a report from below. His face, pale from long illness, flushed with excitement, and his eyes sparkled with eagerness.

"You heard right, there really was an Immortal?" He leaned forward in excitement, grabbing the reporter's shoulder with a bony hand, the veins popping out from exertion.

The reporter winced from the young man's tight grip, but dared not show his discomfort, instead suppressing the pain and continuing in a normal tone, "It's absolutely true, and from the sounds of it, that Immortal seems to recognize the Banished Immortal who once sheltered this world."

"So it's all true, not just legend. There really are Immortals in this world," the young man slowly released the shoulder of the reporter, his face lit with ecstasy as he murmured to himself.

Then he lifted his hand, examining his palm, now disfigured from sickness, and whispered to himself, "If there are Immortals with eternal life, then there must surely be a way to cure my ailment. No, I must know more, did you find out who led the incident at Drunken Spring Tower?"

"It was Commander Liu of the Black Fiend Guard."

"Bring him to see me at once," the young man said with urgency.

The one kneeling on the ground hesitated for a moment before carefully explaining, "Commander Liu was summoned by the second young master and has yet to return."

These words instantly filled the young man's eyes with rage, and he spoke with an ominous tone, "I'm not dead yet, but my brother is already so impatient, heh heh heh."

The young man suddenly laughed, his laughter growing louder and almost hysterical. Perhaps from overexcitement, his laughter was cut short by a fit of violent coughing, one bout following another, as if his lungs would be coughed out.

"I must find the Immortal; then my illness will be cured. When that time comes, I'll make sure my brother pays dearly," the young man whispered to himself, steadying himself on the table.

Turning to the still-kneeling figure, he ordered, "Send out a decree: whoever finds traces of the Immortal will be rewarded a thousand taels of silver."

Meanwhile, not too far from the courtyard, in the southwest corner, a man dressed in white was also listening to Commander Liu's report.

He had a confident smile on his face and said with a laugh, "An Immortal coming to this world will probably make no one happier than my big brother."