Chapter 4859: Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Plate (Not Available Today)

Two hundred million years had passed.

In a secret chamber on Green Lotus Peak, Green Lotus Immortal Island.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a blue futon, his gaze fixed on the Green Lotus Creation Cauldron before him. A snow-blue flame burned at the cauldron’s base.

After a moment, Wang Changsheng changed his incantation, retracted the Glazed Ice Flame, and opened the cauldron lid. A golden, shimmering disc flew out.

"It's finally forged," Wang Changsheng murmured to himself, a look of excitement on his face.

The golden disc, named the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Disk, was an auxiliary Heavenly Dao Artifact designed for use by diviners. The core material for such Heavenly Dao Artifacts was the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Stone, a relatively rare dao material. Wang Qingfeng had exchanged another Heavenly Dao Artifact with a Dao Venerable to acquire it, along with many other dao materials.

Wang Changsheng beckoned with one hand, and the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Disk flew towards him, settling into his palm.

He took out a blue, shimmering communication disc, cast an incantation into it, and said, "Qiulin, come to Green Lotus Peak. The Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Disk has been forged."

"Yes, Grandfather," Wang Qiulin replied.

Wang Changsheng put away the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Disk, stood up, and walked out of the chamber.

Outside, he saw Wang Ruyan and Wang Qingcheng conversing, their expressions grim.

"Husband, have you finished forging the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Disk?" Wang Ruyan asked.

Wang Changsheng nodded and replied, "Yes, it's done. What were you two discussing?"

"Dao Venerables from the Spirit Fire Clan and the Beastman Race encountered Dao Venerables from the Xu Family in the Sea of Guixu," Wang Ruyan explained. "A major battle ensued, and two Dao Venerables from the Xu Family perished."

Dao Venerables from the Heavenly Moon Immortal Realm and other immortal realms had all entered the Sea of Guixu in search of Xing Shen. While there were no reports of Xing Shen being found, many Dao Venerables had, conversely, perished. Furthermore, some Dao Venerables clashed fiercely with their enemies whom they encountered in the Sea of Guixu. According to incomplete statistics, at least thirty Dao Venerables had fallen; some were killed by adversaries, some died under restrictions, and others were slain by powerful creatures.

"The Xu Family suffered such a heavy loss; will they just let it go?" Wang Changsheng asked.

"What else can they do?" Wang Ruyan sighed. "A Dao Venerable from the Heavenly Kui Clan is currently a guest of the Spirit Fire Clan, so the Xu Family wouldn't dare act recklessly. If Xing Shen is found, everything will be fine, but if not, they'll just have to accept their misfortune."

Many factions desired the Grand Dao Stone and had offered substantial rewards. Wang Chuanming and his five companions had been gathering information but had yet to find Xing Shen. Locating a single Dao Venerable in the vast Sea of Guixu was exceptionally difficult.

Wang Qiulin descended from the sky, landing before them.

"Qiulin, this is the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Disk," Wang Changsheng said. "Take it and try to deduce the whereabouts of the missing Dao Venerables. I hope you can succeed."

Few Dao Venerables had mastered the art of divination, and even fewer possessed auxiliary Heavenly Dao Artifacts. Previously, Wang Qiulin had attempted to deduce Xing Shen's whereabouts but had found nothing, primarily because he did not know Xing Shen's precise birth information (Ba Zi). Wang Chuanming had collected information on the missing Dao Venerables, including their birth information, divine abilities, mastered Grand Dao, and Heavenly Dao Artifacts. Wang Qiulin would use this to deduce their whereabouts. If Xing Shen had killed any of these Dao Venerables and kept their Nascent Souls or Heavenly Dao Artifacts, Wang Qiulin would have a chance to find Xing Shen. Of course, this was still a gamble, but it at least narrowed the scope, making it a viable approach.

"Yes, Grandfather," Wang Qiulin replied, then withdrew.

"Have Chuanming and the others not found any significant information after all this time?" Wang Changsheng asked with a frown.

"No, only scattered pieces of information," Wang Ruyan answered. "The Sea of Guixu is simply too vast, and Xing Shen is quite powerful. Currently, no Dao Venerables have encountered him there. However, it's certain that some of the missing Dao Venerables must have met him. If Qiulin can deduce the whereabouts of these Dao Venerables and their treasures, he might be able to locate Xing Shen—unless Xing Shen leaves no valuables behind after killing a Dao Venerable."

Wang Qingcheng took out a small, yellow-glowing mirror, cast an incantation into it, and Wang Chuanming's face appeared on its surface.

"Ancestor Qingcheng," Wang Chuanming said solemnly, "we've received word that the Heavenly Kui Clan has invited Dao Venerable Bu Tian. This person is highly skilled in divination."

"Dao Venerable Bu Tian!" Wang Qingcheng exclaimed. "Where is he now?" Wang Qingcheng asked, handing the small mirror to Wang Changsheng.

"He's currently en route to the Heavenly Moon Immortal Realm," Wang Chuanming replied. "He should arrive soon."

"Find a way to intercept or ambush him," Wang Changsheng instructed. "I'm not asking you to kill him, just to let him know that a Dao Venerable is watching him in secret. Do not reveal your true appearance when you act. If you cannot intercept or ambush him, then so be it; just do your best."

"Yes, Ancestor, I'll figure something out!" Wang Chuanming affirmed.

Wang Changsheng gave a few more instructions, then cut the connection.

"Dao Venerable Bu Tian," Wang Ruyan mused with a frown. "I recall he became a Dao Ancestor over two billion years ago and is quite renowned. He likely possesses a divination-type Heavenly Dao Artifact. The Heavenly Kui Clan must be spending a fortune to enlist his help this time."

"We need to speed up," Wang Changsheng stated. "Hopefully, we can find Xing Shen before the Heavenly Kui Clan does."

Fifteen minutes later, Wang Qiulin arrived. "Grandfather," he announced, "I've deduced the whereabouts of a Dao Venerable. He is in the Sea of Guixu."

"Let's go," Wang Changsheng commanded. "We'll depart immediately. Qiulin, you'll come with us. Qingcheng, you'll remain on Green Lotus Immortal Island and maintain contact with us."

He summoned a blue, shimmering dragon boat, a Heavenly Dao Artifact.

Wang Changsheng stepped onto the azure dragon boat, with Wang Ruyan and Wang Qiulin following closely behind.

The three of them altered their appearances. Wang Changsheng cast an incantation, and the azure dragon boat instantly emitted a blinding blue light, transforming into an afterimage as it sped away from Green Lotus Immortal Island.

Sky Flame Island, ancestral land of the Spirit Fire Clan.

In a secluded manor, Yan Li and a tall, slender youth in a green robe sat within an azure stone pavilion, engaged in conversation.

"By my estimation, Daoist Bu should be arriving soon," the green-robed youth said confidently. "With his involvement, there should be no issue." This was Dou Huai, a Mid-stage Dao Venerable.

"If only we had invited him earlier," Yan Li sighed, "perhaps Xing Shen would have been found long ago, and my clansmen wouldn't have perished." So far, the Spirit Fire Clan had lost three Dao Venerables in their search for Xing Shen, with even more Dao Ancestors among the casualties.

"Daoist Bu was away on a mission and only returned recently," Dou Huai explained. "Otherwise, we would have sought his help much sooner."

"I've received word that the Human Race is also searching for Xing Shen," Yan Li said with some concern. "They might also have a Dao Venerable skilled in divination among them. We wouldn't want them to get there first, would we?"

"Unlikely," Dou Huai replied. "Xing Shen is a Dao Venerable; it's not so easy to deduce the whereabouts of someone at that level. Furthermore, we don't even know Xing Shen's birth information, only the Heavenly Dao Artifacts he used. There's simply too little information on him; we can only start by investigating those missing Dao Venerables."

"You had us send people to search for Xing Shen because you wanted them to act as bait, didn't you?" Yan Li asked with a frown.

"I certainly didn't think that!" Dou Huai clarified. "If they could find Xing Shen, we wouldn't even need to invite Dao Venerable Bu Tian to act."

"Hmph, regardless," Yan Li retorted, "as long as Xing Shen is found, the agreed reward must be quintupled. Our losses have been far too great."

"Fine then! Five times it is," Dou Huai said sternly. "On the condition that we obtain the Grand Dao Stone."