Chapter 608 - 88: Zi Luan is Missing

"What do you mean, he’s gone?"

Wang Ping suppressed his emotions, forcing himself to think about the matter calmly. Besides, as a Third Realm Cultivator, it was normal for Zi Luan to enter secluded cultivation for extended periods.

Hongyuan said with certainty, "We realized Master was not at the Six Heart Sect last year. We couldn’t locate him with the Puppet Birds we use to contact him, and there was no response from his Communication Jade Token."

Hearing this, Wang Ping took out his Communication Token and tried to connect with Zi Luan. But when his Primordial Spirit entered the Token, he could clearly feel that the signal connecting to Zi Luan was completely gone. This made him involuntarily look up at Qin Zifeng.

Hongyuan continued his account, "We’ve been searching for any trace of Master since last year. We’ve even looked in the Western and Eastern Continents, but there hasn’t been a single clue!"

Qin Zifeng added, "Master is the Sect Leader of the Six Heart Sect. He would file a report in the Inner Hall no matter where he went. He wouldn’t just vanish without reason. And... Master’s Third Realm cultivation was already perfected. He had no need for secluded cultivation. Even if he did, he would have certainly informed his disciples. He wouldn’t just disappear like this."

His words came faster and faster. "Also, Master must have left on his own. He took all his puppets and Magical Artifacts with him. Before he left, he specifically had me exchange for five million taels of gold. All the useful Celestial and Earthly Treasures and Spiritual Objects from his personal Dao Field’s warehouse are gone too."

"There were no signs of a struggle anywhere. We initially tried to use some tracking methods, but the lingering aura was disrupted. Even the very qi of heaven and earth was in chaos!"

Wang Ping couldn’t help but recall the sudden heart palpitations he had felt last year. Back then, the Five Elements Spiritual Qi of the world had suddenly fallen into disarray, and it was clearly man-made. He checked the time with Qin Zifeng, and it matched perfectly with Zi Luan’s disappearance.

"Why would he leave?" Yu Lian asked.

Hongyuan and Qin Zifeng both looked completely lost. Wang Ping had various theories, but he couldn’t very well voice them in front of Zi Luan’s two disciples.

"How many people know about this?" Wang Ping asked.

"Right now, only we know. We’ve suppressed the matter using the excuse that Master is in temporary secluded cultivation!" Hongyuan replied in a low voice. From the look on his face, he wasn’t entirely sure if the news had leaked.

Wang Ping felt a headache coming on. With Zi Luan vanishing into thin air during these troubled times, the pressure from the Nanlin Road Cultivation World, and even the entire Southern Cultivation Realm, would fall on him. It would be a needless drain on his energy.

Hongyuan and Qin Zifeng watched the pensive Wang Ping, both sensibly keeping quiet as they waited. Yu Lian’s vertical pupils were fixed on the two of them, making their skin crawl.

After a long moment, Wang Ping took a Communication Token from his storage bag. His gaze swept over the two of them before he finally handed the token to Hongyuan and instructed, "Go back immediately and maintain the status quo for now. The Six Heart Sect needs stability, and the daily affairs of the Daoist Palace Headquarters need to be managed. If any problems arise, use this Communication Token to contact me immediately!"

Hongyuan accepted the Communication Token, the tense look on his face easing slightly. He cupped his hands and said, "True Man, we aren’t worried about the Six Heart Sect. With Senior Wan Zhi there, the other institute uncles won’t dare cause trouble. But at the Daoist Palace..." He let out a breath. "Without Master’s direct guidance, my martial brother and I are on pins and needles at the Daoist Palace!"

After Zhi Gong Daoist relocated to Hai Zhou Road to focus on preparing for his promotion ceremony, the Daoist Palace Headquarters was managed by Zi Luan’s faction. Although it faced criticism over the years, things remained relatively stable, relying entirely on Zi Luan’s personal prestige in the Southern Cultivation Realm.

"I will make arrangements. In as little as ten days or as long as two months, I will arrange for someone to take over handling Daoist Palace affairs for you two!" Wang Ping soothed them with an encouraging tone. The two of them were like frightened rabbits right now.

"We will await the True Man’s arrival at the Daoist Palace. If there is anything you need us to do, we will not shirk our duty!" Qin Zifeng declared decisively.

"Mm."

...

As Hongyuan and Qin Zifeng were leaving, Wang Ping secretly placed an Armor Talisman on each of them to prevent any accidents. When the two had completely left the Mountain Peak Dojo, Yu Lian finally voiced the question on her mind, "Is Zi Luan hiding so he can launch a sneak attack on us?"

Wang Ping thought for a moment and said, "The probability is very low. If he really wanted to ambush us, wouldn’t it be more convenient to stay by our side?" As he spoke, he brought out the Pocket World Mirror. Through the Pocket World Mirror, he issued orders to the puppets in Hai Zhou Road, telling them to monitor Huaimo Taoist and to have other puppets investigate the whereabouts of Monk Mingxin.

These two were good friends of Zi Luan. If Zi Luan was plotting something, he would definitely need their help.

"You need to get the Chu Kingdom Court under your control as soon as possible. If people find out Zi Luan is missing, your plans for the Chu Kingdom Court will become several times more difficult!" Yu Lian reminded him.

Wang Ping nodded. His Primordial Spirit Consciousness spread out, and he quickly located Yuan Zheng in the Fire Institute, but he saw no trace of Ruan Chunzi. Then, he spotted Xia Wen Yi in the front courtyard and sent a voice transmission telling them both to come to his Dao Field.

Afterward, he took out another Communication Jade Token, this one used to contact the Artifact Cultivators on Shanwu Road. As he activated the jade token, Yuan Zheng’s figure appeared outside the courtyard, followed by Xia Wen Yi.

"Master, a disciple from the Ascension Platform just reported that a Second Realm Artifact Cultivator, claiming to be an ’old acquaintance’ of yours, wishes to see you!"

A flicker of doubt crossed Wang Ping’s face. ’An old acquaintance?’

"This is her calling card!" Xia Wen Yi stepped forward and presented a card.

Wang Ping took the card while telling the two to come in and sit. He then scanned the contents of the card with his Primordial Spirit. The card was from Leng Qianhu, whom he had met on Mozhou Road when he was an Entering Cultivator. It was Leng Kezhen, the one who later delivered Li Yan’s head and the Pocket World Mirror on behalf of the Shangjing Court.

"Where is she?"

"Waiting in the front hall!"

"Then let her wait..."

Wang Ping put away the card. After activating the courtyard’s isolation Array, he looked at the two of them very seriously and said, "Just now, Zi Luan’s two disciples came looking for me. They told me Zi Luan is gone..."

"Gone? How so?"

Yuan Zheng just raised an eyebrow, clearly not realizing the severity of the situation. Xia Wen Yi wore a puzzled expression, quietly waiting for a further explanation.

By the time Wang Ping was halfway through his explanation, Yuan Zheng had already jumped to his feet and was pacing anxiously. Upon confirming that Zi Luan might really be missing, he cursed out loud, "That son of a bitch Zi Luan! He must have done this on purpose! Or else... we should hide too!"

"Hide how?"

Wang Ping first retorted, then said, "The original plan was for Zi Luan to take control of the Chu Kingdom Court. It looks like we’ll have to do it ourselves now. And we need to be quick about it—it would be best to get this done before the Spring Festival!"

As he spoke, he looked at Xia Wen Yi. "Immediately arrange a meeting with Patriarch Liu, who lives in Zhonghui County Town. I want to see him personally. Also, recall all the Entering Cultivators in the sect!"