Chapter 1441: Holy Merchant's Suspicion

The scene of the immortal capture immediately fell into an eerie silence. Everyone exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak first.

After a long silence, someone timidly asked, "Brother Dao, the news we received said that the Transcendent Coffin... it was fake, right?" Hearing this, everyone looked at Daoyuan, somewhat at a loss.

Daoyuan, who had always appeared remarkably calm, now had a flicker of panic in his eyes. Still, he cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "Don't lose your composure! Perhaps the Coffin was merely concealed by the Two Xiyi Immortals using unfathomable methods, and it might still be in its original spot. We..."

Before he could finish, a panicked voice interrupted him: "How is that possible? A clearly fake Coffin actually transported them across worlds?!" As he spoke, he recklessly rushed towards the Coffin's original location. It was none other than Nangong Hongzhao, who had previously been so certain about the Coffin's authenticity!

"Oh no!" the newly appointed Immortal Hunters exclaimed, their expressions changing. If Daoyuan's assessment was correct, Nangong Hongzhao's actions could very likely lead him to directly confront the two True Immortals, not only dying on the spot but also exposing everyone else waiting in ambush.

Everyone wanted to stop Nangong Hongzhao's reckless behavior. However, his figure was ethereal, and his speed unbelievably fast. In the blink of an eye, he had reached his destination. Everyone held their breath.

Fortunately, the anticipated tragic scene did not occur. However, their expressions did not lighten. Instead, they became even more distraught.

"The Transcendent Coffin has truly vanished.""Along with it, the two Xiyi True Immortals have also disappeared."

The gravity of the situation was clearly beyond the control of these new Immortal Hunters. So, Daoyuan decisively chose to report it via the Dao Net. The reaction from the other end of the Dao Net was somewhat beyond his imagination.

"What? The immortal bait is gone? That's impossible!""According to the Dao Net's observation, it's clearly still there!""Where's Yan Xuantai?! Why isn't he contacting me!"

Furious shouts echoed through the ripples of the Dao Net, reaching everyone's ears from the distant center of the Shuoxing Sea. By the time the last word was spoken, the owner of the voice had truly arrived. It was a small old man, no more than three feet tall. His silver-white beard and hair were even longer than his body, coiling at his feet like flowing clouds.

The old man's face was terrifyingly grim as his gaze swept over the crowd. Every one of the newly appointed Immortal Hunters instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet the old man's gaze.

"This is..." Li Fan also felt the immense power of the old man before him. With the old man's breath, the invisible Dao strings between heaven and earth emitted subtle corresponding fluctuations. The Dao Net in this area even became clearer and more stable due to his arrival.

In Ma Tiande's memory, he had once seen this old man from afar. The conference where he received his position as a Dao Net operator was presided over by this old man.

"One of the Council Elders of the Shuoxing Sea Governance Council, Nangong Fusheng."

Nangong Fusheng instantly moved to the spot where the immortal bait coffin had been. Seeing Nangong Hongzhao still there, muttering incoherently to himself, Nangong Fusheng furiously spat, "Useless!" He sent Nangong Hongzhao flying with a single slap.

Leaving him to drift uncontrollably in the star sea, Nangong Fusheng's furious emotions gradually subsided as he carefully surveyed his surroundings. Wave after wave of ripples emanated from Nangong Fusheng. The Immortal Hunters watching from afar felt as if the entire world had transformed into a raging stormy sea, churning and roaring. The howling waves seemed capable of swallowing them whole at any moment. They could only struggle to maintain their stability by relying on the power of the Dao Net.

The Dao Net ripples were ceaseless. Finally, Nangong Fusheng concluded by pulling a long, black nail, shimmering with seven-colored light, from the void with his right hand.

With the nail extracted, Nangong Fusheng, instead of being angry, smiled. "Yan Xuantai, what a clever trick! To think you could deceive the Dao Net and pull off such a grand deception!"

The new Immortal Hunters stared intently at the black, shimmering nail in Nangong Fusheng's hand. Their eyes flickered. In their previous understanding, the Dao Net was synonymous with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Its power was unrivaled in the world; one could only find ways to harness it. But now, on their very first mission after officially joining the Immortal Hunting organization, they encountered an entity capable of deceiving the Dao Net. And even performed a 'golden cicada shedding its shell' trick right before everyone's eyes.

"Just who exactly is this Yan Xuantai?" Doubts inevitably arose in everyone's hearts.

The fake Coffin had actually taken off with the two True Immortals, who were supposed to be their prey. Moreover, there was a faint shadow of a conspiracy involving insiders from the Shuoxing Sea Immortal Hunting organization. This was by no means a minor issue.

Soon, besides Nangong Fusheng, three other cultivators arrived one after another. Even though they concealed their figures and restrained their power, their arrival still seemed to stir up tumultuous waves in the Dao Net here. The new Immortal Hunters could only tremble. When questioned, they dared not conceal anything and spoke truthfully.

"Let's go back first.""I don't think this matter is that simple yet."

Nangong Fusheng said to the three figures in a deep voice, without any intention of hiding anything from the crowd. His silver beard and hair grew longer without wind, enveloping all the Immortal Hunters. As they were about to leave, Li Fan vaguely heard Nangong Hongzhao's anxious shout from outside the silver hair enclosure: "Third Uncle, wait for me!"

The silver hair enveloped them, then dispersed. In the blink of an eye, everyone was brought back to the center of the Shuoxing Sea. They were individually led into dark cubicles for a second round of questioning.

Since they were genuinely unaware newcomers, the organization did not make things too difficult for them. After several routine interrogations, it was over. However, there was no intention of releasing them. They were simply kept in countless dark cubicles, much like death row cells. Although their individual freedom of movement was not restricted, it was confined solely to this area. They could not leave.

The endless darkness gradually consumed everyone's spirits. At first, the new Immortal Hunters still held onto hope, believing their imprisonment would soon end. But as days passed, the organization seemed to have completely forgotten about them. There was no further communication after they were placed there.

Slowly, everyone's mindset began to change in different ways.

"I understand now. Hunting True Immortals, the missing Coffin—these are all still part of the Immortal Hunter assessment. We are still being tested! I must pull myself together and not be disheartened!"

"To think I had such a bright future, only to encounter something like this. My life is probably ruined now."

"The Coffin disappearing with two True Immortals—someone definitely has to take responsibility for such a huge matter. Could it be that they're going to make us scapegoats?"

Most people lived in constant fear and anxiety. Only true prodigies could remain calm in such circumstances. Li Fan subtly nodded, sensing the three unbroken streams of sword intent from his neighbor's cubicle.

"Since Jin Changyue was imprisoned, he has been cultivating this sword intent. Unjustly imprisoned and wronged, malevolence naturally grows within his heart. Yet, this is precisely the best time to cultivate a sword through intent."

"However, for this sword intent to achieve mastery, it requires a sacrifice: a person to temper the sword."

Besides Jin Changyue, Daoyuan also remained composed. Apart from an initial fluctuation in his aura, he otherwise seemed like a dormant dragon in a deep abyss, quietly biding his time. Li Fan, naturally, felt no impatience. However, he still feigned incompetence, continuously pretending to show anxiety and despair. In reality, he was constantly replaying the scene of the two Xiyi Immortals activating the Transcendent Coffin and departing.

The profound sounds chanted by the two Xiyi Immortals slowly faded from Li Fan's memory as time passed. Even the recordings on the Transformation Stone were no exception. Li Fan could only repeat them over and over, to deepen his impression. But the overarching trend of things ultimately fading completely was unchangeable.

Li Fan had also tried to directly reflect the fluctuations of that moment using the miniature Dao Net within his divine sense. However, the tremors of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth caused by the profound sounds were all contained within the Coffin. Li Fan merely observed from afar through the Dao Net and could not accurately record them.

"That Coffin, said to be fake, was actually real.""Except for its inability to transport across worlds, it was almost identical to a real Transcendent Coffin..."

Li Fan's heart stirred as he recalled Nangong Hongzhao's previous words. Although Nangong Hongzhao had not been taken back by Nangong Fusheng earlier, a few days later, he was also cast into this dark prison. However, he did not show anxiety or worry. Instead, he looked utterly dejected, as if he had messed up something important. These past few days, he had been lazily lying on the ground, feigning sleep with closed eyes.

Li Fan quietly approached him. "Brother Nangong, there's something I've been holding back for a long time. It's been stuck in my throat; I won't feel at ease until I ask!"

Perhaps 'Ma Tiande's' previous performance had barely left a positive impression on Nangong Hongzhao. Nangong Hongzhao suddenly opened his eyes and glanced indifferently at Li Fan. Then, without saying a word, he closed them again. Li Fan knew that since he hadn't explicitly refused, it meant he had agreed.

Immediately, he transmitted his voice again, asking, "What exactly happened with that fake Coffin suddenly becoming real? Does Brother Nangong know any inside information?"

Nangong Hongzhao irritably replied, "Didn't you see me get swept out a hundred and eighty thousand miles like trash? What inside information could I possibly know?"

Li Fan quickly comforted him, "Brother Nangong, don't say that. That's Elder Nangong of the Council; many people wish they could be swept away like that but don't have the qualifications."

Hearing this, Nangong Hongzhao opened his eyes again. He squinted and looked again, then said thoughtfully, "I almost forgot, you were originally a Dao Net operator, so you're also from the Governance Council. No wonder you know how powerful my third uncle is."

Li Fan nodded repeatedly, "Exactly, exactly."

Seeing Nangong Hongzhao's attitude gradually soften, Li Fan quickly got to the point: "These past few days, with nothing to do, I've been thinking things over. There are a few possibilities regarding this fake Coffin.

"First, that fake Coffin was modeled after a real one. Aside from certain essential conditions, it was identical to a real Transcendent Coffin. And the two Xiyi Immortals, who traveled all the way from the star sea, just happened to possess these essential conditions. Therefore, it was only natural for them to use the Coffin to escape to another world.

"However, there's one illogical point in this speculation. It was merely bait to lure True Immortals; it only needed to look authentic, not be truly real. So, I also speculated that Yan Xuantai secretly tampered with it or performed a 'steal the beam and replace the pillar' trick, replacing the fake Coffin with another that was closer to a real one. And he might have been hiding inside, waiting for the two Xiyi Immortals to enter, explaining the situation, and then escaping with them.

"But..." Li Fan paused. "I don't know who this Yan Xuantai is. Sent to secretly monitor and protect the new Immortal Hunters' first hunt—for such a relatively minor task, his identity and status shouldn't be very high. Yet, he actually possesses such a treasure? And then there's that black, seven-colored nail capable of deceiving the Dao Net. No matter how much I think, I can't figure it out!" Li Fan sighed deeply. "Seeing that we might be imprisoned here forever, with no hope of getting out, could Brother Nangong enlighten me? Don't worry, I absolutely won't speak a word of this to anyone," Li Fan swore solemnly.

After a long silence, Nangong Hongzhao's faint voice finally came: "Your thoughts are quite meticulous. Some points align perfectly with my own guesses. It's just that I know some inside information that you don't. It's not really a secret, so there's no harm in telling you. Yan Xuantai originally joined the Immortal Hunters as a member of the Sacred Merchants. A hundred years ago, the entire Sacred Merchants organization suddenly vanished from the Shuoxing Sea, leaving behind only some survivors and abandoned disciples."

"I always thought he had long severed his ties with the Sacred Merchants. But I never imagined..." Nangong Hongzhao scoffed. "Speaking of which, the Sacred Merchants were one of the founders of the Immortal Hunters. Many immortal-capturing techniques were actively provided by them. Furthermore, members of the Sacred Merchants disliked conflict and power, focusing solely on capturing immortals, which gave them a transcendent status in the early Immortal Hunter organization. After the Sacred Merchants suddenly left without a trace, Yan Xuantai, as an abandoned disciple of the Sacred Merchants, was not overly scrutinized. He was even assigned important positions..."

Li Fan's heart stirred upon hearing the words 'Sacred Merchants.' He continued to ask, "According to what you're saying, Brother Nangong, the Sacred Merchants existed a hundred years ago. In a century, who knows how much our Dao Net techniques have advanced. Even if Yan Xuantai was a Sacred Merchant, how could he possess methods to deceive the Dao Net? Could it be that the Sacred Merchants were that far ahead of us? Or perhaps..."

As if realizing something, Li Fan suddenly lowered his voice: "Could it be that Yan Xuantai recently secretly reestablished contact with the Sacred Merchants, and that's how he found a way to escape? But that doesn't make sense either. Unless, the fake Coffin didn't escape to another world, but to another star sea. Where the Sacred Merchants are located?"

Nangong Hongzhao shook his head slightly: "That's beyond what I know. This matter is perplexing. Yan Xuantai is reclusive by nature and often acts alone. Investigating him poses some difficulty. But don't worry. We definitely won't be imprisoned until death. Once there's a general outcome to this matter, we'll be released," Nangong Hongzhao kindly reassured him.