Chapter 1296: A Tranquil Night

Chapter 1296: Chapter 1296: A Tranquil Night

"Celestial Secret Pavilion?" Upon hearing this, the Mo Sect Leader Tian Feiming, once an old rival, became interested and asked curiously.

"Yes! It’s the Celestial Secret Pavilion! Many of Zhou Yinnong’s Daoist Plane’s goods originate from the Celestial Secret Pavilion. I have always been skeptical about their annihilation in the Blood Temple attack incident. A grand sect that can compete with the Mo Sect for many years wouldn’t be so weak. The mechanical puppets used by Blood Temple resemble those used by the elders of the Celestial Secret Pavilion. When I had doubts and pursued this lead further, the Celestial Secret Pavilion was destroyed. Most crucially, except for some lower-level disciples who escaped and recounted the day’s events to the world, not one of the senior members escaped. Apart from the corpses of those who fought and died, everyone else’s whereabouts are unknown. Also, such an excellent puppet, akin to a Divine Artifact, given to me by Bai Ze for an ambush was from the Celestial Secret Pavilion. Yet they didn’t use it in this catastrophe, allowing it to fall intact into the hands of the Blood Temple. Don’t you all find that suspicious?"

After saying this, Pei Yan continued, "Besides long-term interactions with the Celestial Secret Pavilion, Zhou Yinnong also has deep roots with the White Deer Institute. Through our investigation, his ancestors were from the Inner Courtyard’s Qi Lu Studio of the White Deer Institute, one being Zhou Xianghai. According to records from the Heavenly Guardian Pavilion, it was uncovered that over the years, Qi Lu Studio had taken bribes during evaluations, allowing unqualified disciples into the Inner Courtyard. Many from Qi Lu Studio were thus implicated and expelled from the White Deer Institute; Zhou Xianghai was among them! However, from our investigations afterward, the Zhou Family doesn’t seem to harbor grudges against the White Deer Institute. Their ties remain, and many in key positions within Zhou Yinnong’s firm are from the White Deer Institute, apart from disciples from the Celestial Secret Pavilion."

Lastly, Pei Yan scanned the room and smiled, "Beyond these two major suspicions, there are other issues with the White Deer Institute that I won’t amuse you with here. What’s most puzzling is their rise as well. If tonight, it can be proven that there are links between the Beast Taming Institute and the Dragon Breeding Institute, then all of this makes sense! As the saying goes, small hiding in the wild, medium hiding in the market, great hiding in the court! Although the Underworld’s Eighteen Institutes are being hunted in the shadows, a part of them has transformed into this White Deer Institute, boldly mingling within the Immortal Palace. Ha ha ha! Don’t you all find it intriguing?"

Hearing this, the Sect Leaders of the major sects present weren’t smiling at all. Murong Longxiang sighed, "Pei Xiaoyou, you might find it amusing, but we certainly do not! Among those present, except the newly risen Embroidered Robe Envoy, even the Jinwu Guard gained their status through the siege of the Garden of the Immortals. Though over the years we have fought and reconciled numerous times and even tacitly acknowledged their presence, fundamentally, we are mortal enemies. If your claims turn out to be true, then we have been working with our arch-enemies for years! The Immortal Palace will have no secrets left from the outside world!"

"I now understand why the Spirit Lord’s stance on this matter is so resolute, and why such significant power has been given to you outsiders. How can one share a bed with others snoring beside them! We have lived too complacently, letting internal thieves enter our halls without realizing! Conduct your investigation! Even if nothing is found tonight, to silence the outside world, my Hongjun Sword Furnace is willing to join the White Deer Institute in accepting an investigation," Mo Baiqi decided after a moment of contemplation.

"There’s no time to lose! Pei Yan, when do you plan to start?" urged Zhao Mozhang, the Supreme General of the Jinwu Guard.

Pei Yan did not answer his question. Instead, he turned to look at Jin He Xuan and Long Jin. Seeing this, the two whispered a few words with Commander-in-Chief Mao Xiang, before Jin He Xuan spoke, "It’s impossible to quickly open a Space Passage large enough for an army to pass through directly to here. Fortunately, there aren’t many people in the Beast Taming Institute, and Commander-in-Chief Mao has secretly opened multiple Space Passages for us. Our teams are currently on standby outside these passages, ready to initiate a probing attack any time."

Upon hearing this answer, Pei Yan nodded towards Mao Xiang, who responded, "The supervisor of this Beast Taming Institute, Cao Mengzhi, is unfortunately not present tonight."

"Not present?" Pei Yan frowned slightly in confusion.

"Yes!" Mao Xiang also expressed regret, "A major incident has happened within the Inner Courtyard of the White Deer Institute, so all studio supervisors have been called back to the main institute to discuss responses. Cao Mengzhi is no exception; he hurriedly left for the main institute yesterday afternoon and hasn’t returned since."

Beside him, Jin He Xuan asked, "Does this affect our plan?"

"It’s hard to say!" Pei Yan shook his head hesitantly, "If they are indeed connected to the Dragon Breeding Institute, then Cao Mengzhi, who holds the Secret Technique inheriting from the Dragon Breeding Institute, would be one of them. Without him, it’s uncertain whether we can probe out the truth. However, there is a silver lining; with the supervisor absent, a sudden attack would undoubtedly cause chaos among the disciples. If there are disciples versed in the Dragon Breeding Institute’s magic, in panic, they might use it without discretion."

With that, Pei Yan clapped his hands and made a final decision, "No matter! Once the arrow is released, there’s no turning back! By tonight, all disguises will be torn away, so let’s do it as a single decisive act! My luck isn’t too bad, so let’s bet on it. Elder Jin, begin!"

In the secluded valley of the Beast Taming Institute, Yue Zhixiang’s feelings indeed matched Pei Yan’s description - restless and uneasy. Yesterday afternoon, when Superintendent Cao Mengzhi received a message from the main institute, Yue Zhixiang was right beside him, tending to his mentor. It was his first time witnessing his usually composed mentor reveal such an anxious expression after saying a few words to have the junior uncle strictly oversee the institute and forbid disciples from leaving. He then quickly left for the main institute via the Teleportation Array and has yet to return, with no news relayed back since then.

What exactly happened at the main institute to make his mentor so unsettled? It must be something significant! Usually, besides the once-a-decade evaluations of subordinate institutes, Master Cao is rarely summoned specifically by the main institute. Their Beast Taming Institute is like a forgotten corner of the White Deer Institute, receiving just enough annual resources to manage, with lax disciple management and little effort put into recruiting them. Except for occasionally discovering beast-taming talents and exerting effort to recruit them, most of the time, it’s largely ignored.

No wonder, given that as most Spirit Beasts have moved to the Spirit Monster Plane, the entire beast-tamer lineage in the Daoist Plane has declined. If it weren’t for being too inept at other magic, I wouldn’t have accepted my master’s invitation to come to this Beast Taming Institute, where we rarely see outsiders and mostly associate with Spirit Beasts. Moreover, the techniques we learn are quite restricted; it’s hard to endure the climb to the rank of a direct disciple. I’ve learned some profound skills, yet I’m forbidden to show them to outsiders unless absolutely necessary. Oh! What’s the use in learning if I’m not allowed to show it? I really don’t understand what the mentors of the academy are worried about!