Chapter 00257: Encountering the Second Dao Code Again
# Encountering the Second Dao Code Again
Chapter 257
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 257: Encountering the Second Dao Code Again
When Lan Xiaobu left the fifth-floor archives, he couldn't shake the feeling that the Immortal King at the entrance was giving him a strange look, as if his true intentions were laid bare before the man's eyes.
Lan Xiaobu quickly excused himself and headed downstairs.
If his interest in Ju Xiuruo's case was discovered, things could get messy.
However, he believed he had been discreet enough.
He had browsed through dozens of files, and it was unlikely anyone could pinpoint that he was specifically investigating Ju Xiuruo.
"Who wants to come with me to Bai Xi Immortal Corner to handle a case?" Lan Xiaobu called out once he reached the first floor.
Lan Xiaobu knew the difference between an Immortal Guard and an Immortal Officer.
While Immortal Guards faced little danger, their status was far below that of Immortal Officers.
Only Immortal Officers had the chance to advance and make a fortune.
In other words, Immortal Guards were like assistants, while Immortal Officers were the real deal—official law enforcers.
Lan Xiaobu had expected a crowd to eagerly volunteer to accompany him, allowing him to pick one.
However, reality proved awkward.
After his call, not a single person stepped forward.
After a moment of thought, Lan Xiaobu understood.
While Immortal Officers could promote Immortal Guards—like how Guang Li had promoted him—not all Immortal Officers were equally valuable.
As a newcomer who had only joined the Forbidden Immortal Bureau a day ago, he held little sway.
The Immortal Guards were sharp.
They knew that following Lan Xiaobu wouldn't help them escape their lowly status.
Moreover, there were unspoken rules about which Immortal Officer to follow.
Jumping from one to another would only make them the least favored.
For an Immortal Guard, choosing the right Immortal Officer to follow was crucial.
Lan Xiaobu sighed.
It seemed he would have to go to Bai Xi Immortal Corner alone.
The immortal world wasn't so different from the mortal one—people here were just as driven by self-interest.
"Brother Xiaobu, can I come with you?" A hesitant voice broke the silence.
Lan Xiaobu turned to see a gatekeeping Immortal Guard speaking up.
If Immortal Guards were ranked, gatekeepers would undoubtedly be at the bottom.
"Of course. Let's go. By the way, what's your name?" Lan Xiaobu replied.
The guard was of average height and appearance, with modest cultivation at the late-stage True Immortal level.
"Thank you, Brother Xiaobu. My name is Zhong Yi," the guard said excitedly.
As the gatekeeper left with Lan Xiaobu, someone else would naturally take over his duties.
"Zhong Yi, do you know much about Bai Xi Immortal Corner?" Lan Xiaobu asked once they were outside the Forbidden Immortal Bureau.
Once outside, Zhong Yi seemed to gain confidence.
"Brother Xiaobu, I'm actually from Bai Xi Immortal Corner. I still live there."
Hearing this, Lan Xiaobu was delighted and quickly asked for more details about the area.
From Zhong Yi's description, Lan Xiaobu learned that Bai Xi Immortal Corner was a decent residential area for immortals, not far from the Wu Mu Market.
This reminded Lan Xiaobu of the case Gong Liangye had mentioned earlier.
In just half a day, the two arrived at Bai Xi Immortal Corner.
The area was protected by a third-grade spirit-gathering array, which was decent.
Ships came and went frequently, and from the cultivation activity, it seemed there were no powerful figures here.
"Let's head to Xi Tu's place first to check the scene," Lan Xiaobu said.
He wasn't here to solve the case but to gather information.
Once he was done here, he planned to visit the underground prison to learn more about Ju Xiuruo's case.
Xi Tu's residence was easy to find, located almost at the center of Bai Xi Immortal Corner.
Before reaching the house, Lan Xiaobu's divine sense detected a defensive array protecting the crime scene.
Since he was here, Lan Xiaobu decided to take a look.
As a representative of the Forbidden Immortal Bureau, he was accompanied by Zhong Yi and Zhong Zhi'an, the local Immortal Armor Officer.
Inside the defensive array, Lan Xiaobu saw a middle-aged man lying face down, a bloody hole in his forehead.
It seemed he had been killed by a strike to the head that destroyed his primordial spirit first.
"Where's Shangguan Qian?" Lan Xiaobu asked casually.
Zhong Zhi'an quickly replied, "After Xi Tu was killed, Shangguan Qian managed to escape thanks to a powerful defensive treasure. She didn't dare stay in Bai Xi Immortal Corner and returned to her family's territory."
Lan Xiaobu didn't need to ask to know that the Shangguan family was a significant immortal clan.
This puzzled him.
How did a woman from such a prominent family end up as Xi Tu's partner?
Xi Tu was clearly a nobody with no backing, as evidenced by how his case was being handled.
In the immortal world, status mattered even more than in the mortal realm.
Without a good background and average talent, it was rare for someone to have a partner from a major immortal family.
Lan Xiaobu had seen Shangguan Qian's image on the array screen—she was undeniably beautiful.
Though he already guessed the Shangguan family was influential, Lan Xiaobu still asked, "Officer Zhong, can you tell me more about the Shangguan family?"
Zhong Zhi'an looked puzzled for a moment but quickly answered, "The Shangguan family is one of the top ten immortal families under the North River Immortal Protectorate. Their power far surpasses that of a small place like Bai Xi Immortal Corner."
Lan Xiaobu understood the man's confusion.
It was strange that he didn't know about the Shangguan family.
A woman from such a prominent family living in Bai Xi Immortal Corner, her partner killed, and herself severely injured—yet the Shangguan family remained silent.
If this didn't involve Shangguan Qian, Lan Xiaobu wouldn't believe it.
This wasn't something a lowly Immortal Officer like him could meddle in.
Just as Lan Xiaobu was about to leave, he sensed something unusual.
Though Xi Tu had been dead for months, traces of Dao aura still lingered around his body.
This aura felt oddly familiar to Lan Xiaobu.
Frowning, Lan Xiaobu used his immortal energy to flip Xi Tu's body over.
He placed his finger on the wound in Xi Tu's forehead, and the Dao aura became even clearer.
"The Second Dao Code?"
Lan Xiaobu quickly realized that Xi Tu had been cultivating the Second Dao Code—or at least had recently practiced it.
Upon sensing the familiar Dao aura, Lan Xiaobu immediately had the Cosmic Dimension Matrix construct a model of the Dao aura flow around Xi Tu.
The Second Dao Code was something he had given to Liu Li.
Since Liu Li had studied it, Lan Xiaobu could recognize the familiar Dao aura.
Aside from Liu Li, only a few powerful figures from the Western Kunlun Sect had studied the Second Dao Code.
Lan Xiaobu suspected that the Second Dao Code here might have been lost by Liu Li, as the Western Kunlun Sect was located in Yuan Continent.
During the fusion of the Five Realms Immortal World, a powerful figure had stated that realms would be reorganized based on cultivation levels.
Lan Xiaobu had ended up in the Lingwei Immortal Domain because he was already in the Great Desolate World of the Nine Heavens.
Yuan Continent, however, would have been relegated to a lower-level cultivation world.
Thus, it was unlikely that anyone from Yuan Continent who had studied the Second Dao Code would appear in the Five Realms Immortal World.
Moreover, this place was the Mo Xuan Immortal Domain, which wasn't part of the Five Realms Immortal World.
Therefore, it was even less likely for a Yuan Continent cultivator to appear here.
When Liu Li had helped him retrieve the Seven Sounds Halberd, she had been swept away by a spatial teleportation.
Lan Xiaobu had always assumed she had been sent to the Nine Heavens, like him, in the Great Desolate Universe.
But now it seemed Liu Li might have ended up in the Mo Xuan Immortal Domain instead.
If Liu Li was in the Mo Xuan Immortal Domain, everything made sense.
Her Second Dao Code had been stolen, and she was likely in grave danger.
Of course, there was a slim chance that the Dao aura came from another source.
Lan Xiaobu took a deep breath and turned to Zhong Yi.
"Zhong Yi, would you like to stay by my side as my personal Immortal Guard?"
Immortal Officers in the Forbidden Immortal Bureau could have personal Immortal Guards, essentially trusted aides.
Once an Immortal Guard became an officer's personal guard, their fate was tied to that officer.
If the officer prospered, so would the guard.
If the officer fell, the guard would suffer as well.
Many Immortal Guards in the Forbidden Immortal Bureau became personal guards to promising Immortal Officers.
For example, Guang Li, who had a bright future, had many guards willing to serve him.
However, Guang Li preferred to work with Jian Xuanming and didn't want personal guards.
Zhong Yi was stunned for a moment before eagerly replying, "Brother Xiaobu, I would be honored to serve as your personal guard and work alongside you."
Lan Xiaobu patted Zhong Yi on the shoulder and then turned to Zhong Zhi'an.
"Officer Zhong, there's something unusual about Xi Tu's case. Someone approached me and said that if I could find clear evidence of Xi Tu's murder, they would reward me with a Void-Breaking Pill."
If Zhong Yi hadn't agreed to become his personal guard, Lan Xiaobu would have sent him away before saying this.
But now that Zhong Yi was his trusted aide, he could speak freely.
"What?" Zhong Zhi'an exclaimed, staring at Lan Xiaobu in disbelief.
A Void-Breaking Pill! It was something he had dreamed of for years.
Stuck at the late-stage Golden Immortal level for so long, a Void-Breaking Pill could help him break through to the Profound Immortal realm.
Once he reached that level, his opportunities in the Jiangyan Immortal Path would expand greatly.
Hearing about the Void-Breaking Pill, Zhong Yi also looked envious.
Though he was only a late-stage True Immortal, he knew he would eventually need such a pill.
Zhong Zhi'an's expression shifted several times before he finally set up a few soundproofing barriers.
He clasped his hands and said, "Officer Lan, I'll tell you everything I know. You can judge its value. But please, don't reveal that this information came from me."
Lan Xiaobu nodded solemnly.
"Officer Zhong, confidentiality is the top priority in the Forbidden Immortal Bureau. As an Immortal Officer, I would never leak such information."
(That's all for today's update.
Goodnight, everyone!)
(End of Chapter)