Chapter 1048: The First to Eat a Crab
Early the next morning, while having breakfast, Liu Zixuan briefly mentioned the plans to travel to Qian Nan. No one objected, but they were all concerned about his safety, insisting on going together. Luo Xi, in particular, was worried something might happen to Liu Zixuan again.
Liu Zixuan grinned, saying, "Right now, the Star Sea Martial Realm is peaceful, so what danger could there possibly be?"
"Even though the people from the Void Mountain Sect were driven away by Sword Demon Senior and Wang Liang yesterday, the Star Sea Martial Realm still harbors the old poison Venerable Ghost Nether!" Ye Lianyi remarked with a frown.
Liu Zixuan waved his hand, saying, "This trip is for the Seven-Star Tomb, so the fewer people who know, the better. With my current condition, I definitely can’t go alone. I’ll have Master and Luo Xi accompany me, while the rest shall stay here in Lingxiu Village."
Seeing that everyone was hesitant to speak, Liu Zixuan added, "Don’t worry too much. Previously, I rescued everyone from the Martial Realm, and now they’re all around the Qian Nan area. If anything happens, they’ll help!"
"Let me notify them," Gu Yu said, taking out his phone as he headed outside.
After the Celestial Dao Alliance was destroyed, Liu Zixuan’s side was currently the strongest in the Martial Realm. But nothing is absolute; considering Liu Zixuan’s cultivation technique is sealed, it’s better to make some preparations.
Once everything was ready and after discussing with Meng Yu, Liu Zixuan took his beautiful master and Luo Xi and drove towards Qian Nan Land.
On the road, Luo Xi said, "That Venerable Ghost Nether hid away after the Celestial Dao Alliance was destroyed. However, he hasn’t been spotted recently!"
"I’m really curious, is his main base in the wasteland of the Land of the Far West?" Liu Zixuan asked, leaning back in the front passenger seat.
Luo Xi smiled slightly, "It’s not in the Star Sea. Speaking of which, Venerable Ghost Nether even has some connections with the Netherworld Hall!"
"Connected to Netherworld Hall?"
Liu Zixuan mumbled in confusion, "That’s not right. When I rescued Ripple, I heard her mention that Venerable Ghost Nether was a traitor from Ghost Valley Sect. He originally stole the Ghost Doctor Skill to become the old poison he is now. How is he connected to the Netherworld Hall overseas?"
"I heard this from the old beggar too."
Luo Xi paused and then explained to Liu Zixuan, "Venerable Ghost Nether indeed is a traitor from Ghost Valley Sect. Because the rules of Hidden Sects prohibit them from stepping into the Martial Realm, Ghost Valley Sect can’t directly send people to kill him. But if you think about it from another angle, if one of your brothers became a traitor and knew all our secrets, as well as your fatal weaknesses, what would you do?"
"That’s simple, kill them!" Liu Zixuan’s eyes flashed with a cold gleam, though he was confident internally that there wouldn’t be a traitor like Venerable Ghost Nether among his people.
Not to mention the backgrounds of these people, the brothers surrounding Liu Zixuan all progressed with him from the weakest points to where they are now, united without any factors leading to betrayal.
Luo Xi spread his hands, "Even in your eyes, there’s no room for betrayal. How about Ghost Valley Sect among the dignified Hidden Sects then?"
"Are you saying Ghost Valley Sect has been secretly trying to kill Venerable Ghost Nether?" The beautiful master asked while keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel.
Luo Xi nodded slightly, "Correct, these Hidden Sects claim they don’t meddle in Martial Realm affairs, but they can’t completely isolate themselves from the outside world. Each Hidden Sect places some staff in the Martial Realm or lets some experts hide within cities to help them with mundane tasks."
Hearing this, Liu Zixuan rubbed his chin, "That makes sense. I bet a lot of those people placed outside are wealthy, right?"
"Exactly, otherwise, how do the Hidden Sects sustain for so long?"
Luo Xi leaned forward a bit, "That time when you went to the Profound Sword Sect, did Old Qing go down the mountain to gather some herbs?"
"How do you know about that?" Liu Zixuan asked, surprised.
"Two of those herbs were taken from the old beggar Sword Demon. The rest were bought by people sent by the Profound Sword Sect to the mundane world," Luo Xi said with a smile.
Liu Zixuan nodded, "No wonder Old Qing could gather the herbs so quickly!"
"So, Ghost Valley Sect has been sending people to find Venerable Ghost Nether’s whereabouts, but they’ve never succeeded in killing him. Instead, he’s grown stronger, and that involves Netherworld Hall!"
Luo Xi shifted the conversation, "However, Venerable Ghost Nether is stronger than the ancestor of Willow Association!"
"What do you mean?" Liu Zixuan and the beautiful master asked together.
Luo Xi glanced out the window and continued, "Netherworld Hall’s usual method is to use the Heart and Soul Technique to control people. Figures like the ancestor of Willow Association could never serve Netherworld Hall willingly. The reason they comply with every request from Netherworld Hall is because their hearts and souls are controlled."
"And Venerable Ghost Nether was the same back then. He made deals by using control, letting Netherworld Hall ensure his safety. However, during his breakthrough into the Innate Emperor Realm Second Heaven, he used the Ghost Doctor Skill to dissolve the control, completely freeing himself from Netherworld Hall."
"So, apart from Ghost Valley Sect, there should be people from Netherworld Hall also hunting him now, right?" Liu Zixuan asked with a meaningful smile.
Luo Xi nodded, "Yes, but since Venerable Ghost Nether has survived until now and can play both Hidden Sects, it shows he’s extremely clever. So, he chose another faction again."
"Netherworld Hall’s goal is the World Martial Realm, but they can’t possibly control the martial artists of every country. There are bound to be adversaries, so Venerable Ghost Nether has now positioned himself against Netherworld Hall! He’s temporarily safe and probably won’t come to the Star Sea."
"You have a point, but don’t forget, while his main body may not dare to come to the Star Sea, his Gu Corpse minions can," Liu Zixuan said with a smile.
Luo Xi raised an eyebrow, "Are you suggesting that during this trip to the Seven-Star Tomb, Gu Corpses might show up?"
"Yes, had I known, I would’ve brought Xiao Hu. He’s quite adept at dealing with Gu Corpses," Liu Zixuan said, leaning back in his seat.
Luo Xi chuckled, "Is Xiao Hu the only one who can handle Gu Corpses?"
"Exactly, do you think Xi Xi and Senior Xuan Yuan wasted their time learning for so long?" The beautiful master glanced at Liu Zixuan with a smile.
Liu Zixuan turned to carefully examine Luo Xi, "Oh my, has our little Celestial Capital brat become a big boss now?"
"Of course, if I return to Celestial Capital now, I’d definitely dominate it!"
"If you had eight legs, you’d be a crab!" Liu Zixuan chuckled mischievously, "And I’d be the first to taste it!"