Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 425: Chapter 392: The Beginning of the Turmoil

Chu Mu walked out of the cabin and stood on the deck, recalling what the cultivator had just said. His brow furrowed, a hint of confusion on his face.

Chixia was under martial law. The scene that greeted his eyes was grim and forbidding.

He had originally assumed the conflict was due to the death of the Young Master Profound Snake.

And it seemed that was indeed the case.

The Young Master Profound Snake had fallen, and in his fury, the Profound Snake Race Leader had let all grievances, new and old, erupt at once.

The Outer Sea had descended into chaos, and the peace of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World was utterly shattered.

All of this was, of course, within his expectations.

However, based on what the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Chen Family had just said, it seemed events had taken a turn he hadn’t anticipated.

According to that Chen Family cultivator, the initial reason Chixia Island had been placed under martial law was, astonishingly, because Celestial Cloud True Master had fallen!

He had personally extracted Celestial Cloud True Master’s soul and Golden Core, refining them into a Heavenly Deceit Pill. No one knew better than him that Celestial Cloud True Master was dead.

Strictly speaking, Celestial Cloud True Master had been dead since the moment the Heavenly Deceit Pill was successfully refined.

The Heavenly Deceit Pill, however, had created the perfect deception, maintaining the illusion that Celestial Cloud True Master was still alive.

The moment the pill’s effects wore off would be the moment the news of Celestial Cloud True Master’s demise reached the Chen Family.

And yet, during their conversation, the Chen Family cultivator had told him... that Celestial Cloud True Master had died when his body exploded, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit having spiraled out of control during a failed attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

His Golden Core Cave Mansion had been situated atop several Immortal Mountains in the heart of the city. The mighty power of the self-detonation had not only destroyed those Immortal Mountains but had even flattened the entire city center.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators in Chixia City had witnessed this self-detonation. The Divine Soul Aura was unmistakable, as was the dispersed Profound Snake bloodline.

As chaos erupted in the Vast Sea, everyone in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World knew the story: In his quest for a breakthrough, the Chen Family’s Celestial Cloud True Master had taken it upon himself to slay the Young Master Profound Snake, refining his bloodline in hopes of reaching the Nascent Soul realm.

Alas, his fortune was meager. He ultimately failed the breakthrough and died in the resulting explosion.

His unauthorized killing of the Young Master Profound Snake, however, had provoked the Profound Serpent Race into a rampage, unleashing a bloody storm that plunged the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World into turmoil.

’It’s all very logical...’

’But... he remembered with perfect clarity. The "Celestial Cloud True Master" was an imposter—it was True Master Yun Xiao from the Yun Xiao Trading House, using the Heavenly Deceit Pill to pull off a grand deception. His actual cultivation was only at the Middle Stage of Golden Core. What talk was there of a breakthrough? How could he have lost control and died from an explosion?’

’Self-detonation...’

Suddenly, that single word surfaced in his mind.

’Forbidden God Seal... self-detonation... completely seamless...’

In that instant, the entire chain of events clicked into place in his mind.

The news of Celestial Cloud True Master’s death would inevitably be noticed by the Chen Family once the pill’s effects wore off.

This was clearly a significant point of suspicion that couldn’t be overlooked. After all, a Golden Core True Master couldn’t just die for no reason.

In his opinion, however, this loose end was actually inconsequential.

After all, even if the Chen Family sensed something was amiss, or even learned the full truth, that truth—without solid proof—would do nothing to quell the wrath of the Profound Serpent Race.

The Profound Serpent Race would care even less; they would simply assume the Chen Family was behind some kind of scheme.

As for retaliation from the Chen Family, that was even less likely. With the Vast Sea in chaos, the Chen Family could barely manage their own affairs, let alone find the energy to meddle in the matters of Great Chu.

But it seemed Xu Lingtian hadn’t allowed that loose end to remain...

A Forbidden God Seal, a self-detonation staged to look like a failed breakthrough, and the lingering effects of the Heavenly Deceit Pill... all used to tie up the plan perfectly, making it truly seamless.

Chu Mu studied the Ninth True Inheritance Order in his hand, his gaze turning grim.

’Seamless, yes, but what was it if not... silencing witnesses by death...’

If he remembered correctly, there had been quite a few cultivators from the Yun Xiao Business Alliance at that Deep Sea Base who knew the truth of the matter.

He pressed his lips together. Just as a shadow fell over his heart, a sudden smile broke across his face.

’Better them than me!’

’I’m the Ninth True Inheritor of Longevity. I’m one of them!’

’Those in the know from the Yun Xiao Business Alliance... they’re the outsiders!’

’I hope you were among those who were silenced...’

Chu Mu muttered to himself. He hadn’t forgotten the grudge he held against Fu Song for tricking and swindling him into that deathtrap.

With a mere thought, his Flying Boat entered Chixia Port, passed through the Chixia Inner Port, and upon reaching the island, he headed straight for Chixia City.

Once inside the city, Chu Mu didn’t return to the True Understanding Pavilion. Instead, he hurried straight to the city center. It was still lined with buildings and as bustling as ever.

But the radically altered layout of the buildings and the complete absence of the Immortal Mountains clearly confirmed the Chen Family cultivator’s story.

Chu Mu asked around a bit to reconfirm the facts before hurrying back to the True Understanding Pavilion.

Over a year had passed. The Array Prohibition in the backyard was still active, and Xu Yuan was still undergoing his Bloodline Foundation Establishment. The True Understanding Pavilion was well-stocked; his absence of more than a year hadn’t significantly affected its operations.

His Sound Transmission Order, on the other hand, had accumulated many unread messages. He quickly skimmed through them, getting a rough idea of the current situation in the Vast Sea.

The death of a Golden Core True Master based in Chixia, and the endless bloodshed it had caused, was clearly more than just a matter of Chixia City’s layout changing.

Judging from the messages, the fallout from the Heavenly Deceit Pill incident had led to almost earth-shattering changes.

In just a few short months, Celestial Cloud True Master had fallen. In their fury, the Profound Serpent Race had caused the near-total collapse of the Outer Sea, with numerous islands being destroyed by the Beast Tide.

The surging Beast Tide had charged into the inner sea, wreaking havoc and causing countless deaths and injuries throughout the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World. It wasn’t until over a month ago that the cultivators of the Vast Sea, caught completely off guard, finally organized a defensive line under the Chen Family’s leadership. They established it at the Moon Ring Islands, roughly eight hundred thousand li from Chixia Island, and just barely managed to hold back the rampaging Beast Tide.

But the defensive line at the Moon Ring Islands held for less than half a month. Then, just two weeks ago, the islands suddenly fell.

What exactly happened was a matter of wide speculation. Some said a traitor had appeared within the Chen Family’s ranks, while others claimed the Profound Snake Race Leader himself had descended and unleashed his awesome power. The rumors were many, and it was impossible to distinguish fact from fiction.

One thing was certain, however: the Chen Family had suffered catastrophic losses in the battle at Moon Ring Island.

It was rumored that a Nascent Soul Great Power from the Chen Family had fallen at Moon Ring Island, swallowed alive by a Great Power from the Profound Serpent Race. Several Golden Core True Masters were said to have perished as well.

The state of the war after that was hazy. Some said the Beast Tide was on the verge of reaching Chixia, while others claimed the Chen Family had established another line of defense.

Given the Vast Sea’s unique geography, the rampant Beast Tide was clearly placing severe limitations on the spread of information.

The true state of the ongoing war remained unknown.

But the martial law on Chixia Island had been in effect ever since Celestial Cloud True Master’s self-detonation, and it continued to this day.

On Chixia Island, massive conscription drives by the Chen Family had left the populace in a state of widespread panic...

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