Chapter 00269: Talented People, Huh
# Talented People, Huh?
Chapter 269
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 269: Talented People, Huh?
Bai Duanfu was seething with rage.
He swore that whoever dared to bring up that matter would be killed on the spot.
The atmosphere in the Bai Duan family's meeting hall was slightly awkward.
Just as Bai Duanhuang was about to speak to break the silence, a loud explosion echoed from outside, followed by the sound of shattering.
Someone was attacking the defensive formation of the Bai Duan Immortal Manor? Both Bai Duanhuang and Bai Duanqi stood up in shock.
The Bai Duan family had two Immortal Kings, and their status within the Star Ascension Immortal Court was extremely high.
Who would dare to be so brazen as to attack their manor's defensive formation?
"Everyone, follow me outside," Bai Duanqi roared, leading the charge.
Hearing that someone had dared to attack the Bai Duan Immortal Manor's formation, all the powerful members of the Bai Duan family rushed out without hesitation, following Bai Duanqi.
Only Bai Duanfu lagged behind.
Not only did he not rush forward, but he also slowed his pace, eventually turning in a different direction.
The defensive formation had already been breached.
Bai Duanqi, who was at the forefront, stopped in his tracks.
The anger on his face vanished, replaced by fear as he looked at the tall man before him.
In a trembling voice, he said, "Director Kui..."
At this moment, he couldn't even bring himself to ask why the Forbidden Immortal Bureau had attacked the Bai Duan Immortal Manor's formation.
Did the Forbidden Immortal Bureau need a reason to take action against the Bai Duan family?
The North River Immortal Protectorate had three Immortal Paths, each with its own Forbidden Immortal Bureau.
In the Star Ascension Immortal Court, there were four such Immortal Protectorates, each with three Immortal Paths.
This meant there were a total of twelve Forbidden Immortal Bureaus in the entire Star Ascension Immortal Court.
The Director was the one who oversaw all the Forbidden Immortal Bureaus.
In the entire Star Ascension Immortal Court, there were three Directors.
The Grand Director never showed himself, and it was said that his cultivation had reached the pinnacle of this Immortal Domain.
The Second and Third Directors were both at the Immortal Venerable level.
It was rare for any of the three Directors to make an appearance.
If a Grand Director showed up, it would be a major event.
The person who had appeared now was none other than the Third Director of the Forbidden Immortal Bureau, Kui Xinghan, a true Immortal Venerable powerhouse.
With the Third Director appearing outside the Bai Duan Immortal Manor, even Bai Duanqi, with all his courage, couldn't help but feel fear.
"Third Director..."
Bai Duanhuang, the head of the Bai Duan family, also saw Kui Xinghan and felt a chill in his heart.
He regretted being here.
If he had known that the Director of the Forbidden Immortal Bureau would appear at the Bai Duan Immortal Manor, he would have fled immediately.
He glanced around with his divine sense but didn't see Bai Duanfu.
He sighed inwardly, realizing he wasn't even as composed as a junior.
Before Bai Duanqi and Bai Duanhuang could say anything more, Kui Xinghan took a step forward.
Under the pressure of his Immortal Venerable domain, the two Immortal Kings had no chance to resist.
Even if they tried, two Immortal Kings were no match for an Immortal Venerable.
Kui Xinghan sealed the cultivation of Bai Duanhuang and Bai Duanqi, tossing them to the ground.
Then, he turned to Gu Yue and said, "Search the Bai Duan Immortal Manor immediately. I hope you can find something."
Gu Yue knew very well that if they didn't find anything in the Bai Duan Immortal Manor, he would be in deep trouble.
However, he trusted Lan Xiaobu's words.
Lan Xiaobu had said that Ju Xiuruo had entered the West Market and never came out, then directly appeared at the Bai Duan Immortal Manor.
This suggested a connection between the West Market and the Bai Duan Immortal Manor.
In fact, Gu Yue had also tried Lan Xiaobu's method.
He had placed divine sense marks on several missing Immortal Officials, but as they disappeared, the marks became untraceable.
"Yes, Third Director. I will definitely expose the evil deeds of the Bai Duan family," Gu Yue said before personally charging into the Bai Duan Immortal Manor.
This matter had to be resolved.
...
The Bai Duan Immortal Manor was vast.
Although the Forbidden Immortal Bureau had sent a sixth-grade Grand Array Master, the place was filled with various restrictions.
Even after several hours of searching with the Grand Array Master, they hadn't found any evidence of wrongdoing by the Bai Duan family.
Gu Yue began to feel uneasy.
If they couldn't find any evidence, he would be finished.
He suddenly felt that he had been too impulsive.
Lan Xiaobu was just a minor Immortal Official.
Why had he trusted his words so completely?
Wait, it was precisely because Lan Xiaobu was a minor Immortal Official that he believed him.
A minor Immortal Official wouldn't have access to third-grade Immortal Flames.
A minor Immortal Official wouldn't be able to walk around the West Market unscathed.
"Grand Immortal Official Gu, we've searched the entire Bai Duan Immortal Manor and found no suspicious points," the sixth-grade Grand Array Master said, stopping the search and looking at Gu Yue with a serious expression.
Gu Yue was stunned.
If they couldn't find anything, would he be the one to take the fall?
No, he needed to call Lan Xiaobu immediately.
He had thought that Lan Xiaobu, being just a minor Profound Immortal, wouldn't be of much help here, so he hadn't asked him to come.
Now, it seemed he had underestimated the situation.
...
Lan Xiaobu was still in the midst of his cultivation.
Although only a few days had passed, his cultivation had already reached the second level of the Profound Immortal realm.
Just then, his communication bead buzzed.
"Lan Xiaobu, the Forbidden Immortal Bureau has surrounded the Bai Duan Immortal Manor and captured everyone inside. However, they haven't found any trace of the missing cultivators from the West Market. Come here immediately."
The message was from Gu Yue.
Lan Xiaobu cursed inwardly.
This idiot was utterly useless.
He was almost ninety percent certain that the West Market incident was the work of the Bai Duan family, specifically Bai Duanfu.
If it were him, finding nothing would be simple—just perform a soul search on Bai Duanfu.
However, Lan Xiaobu also knew he couldn't be too explicit about this.
Besides, he wasn't sure if Bai Duanfu, the one who knew Void Array Patterns, had been captured.
Most importantly, once a soul search was performed, the Forbidden Immortal Bureau would have no way out, though they were already in a tight spot.
Lan Xiaobu thought of the Yan Family Immortal Manor, which seemed similar to the Bai Duan Immortal Manor.
The entrance to the Yan Family's Soul Refining Cauldron was in the backyard of the manor lord.
It seemed that the most crucial places had to be guarded personally, not only for easy access but also for monitoring.
If the Bai Duan family was indeed imprisoning cultivators, the entrance would likely be in the safest, most reliable, and easily overlooked location.
Thinking this, Lan Xiaobu began to understand why the Forbidden Immortal Bureau hadn't found any clues.
Bai Duanfu must have used a Void Concealment Array to lock the entrance.
Without knowledge of such a Void Concealment Array, even a seventh-grade Grand Array Master might not be able to find it.
This made it even more imperative that he didn't go to the Bai Duan Immortal Manor.
If he went and immediately found the entrance, wouldn't that imply he was also proficient in Void Concealment Arrays and formations?
Lan Xiaobu decisively sent a message back to Gu Yue: "Grand Immortal Official, I think you should focus your search on the residences of the two Immortal Kings and the top genius of the Bai Duan family. If you don't find anything, then bombard those areas thoroughly. As the saying goes, brute force can work miracles."
When Gu Yue received Lan Xiaobu's message, he nearly spat out blood in anger.
A mere minor Immortal Official—no, now a minor Immortal Official—had the audacity to not come when summoned, instead sending a message telling him what to do.
This guy had some nerve.
"Grand Immortal Official Gu, perhaps we should..."
The Grand Array Master, seeing Gu Yue's dark expression, suggested retreating.
Gu Yue was a Grand Immortal Official and a peak Immortal King, but as a sixth-grade Grand Array Master, he wasn't afraid of Gu Yue.
Gu Yue waved his hand.
"Head to Bai Duanqi and Bai Duanhuang's residences immediately. Bombard them thoroughly, even the void around them."
Following Lan Xiaobu's advice, he had no choice but to comply.
Though he was unhappy about it, the Grand Array Master had to agree.
After all, Gu Yue was a Grand Immortal Official, responsible for the safety of an entire Immortal Path.
Bai Duanqi's residence was quite ordinary, with only slightly denser Immortal Spiritual Energy in the surroundings.
"Smash it!" As soon as they entered Bai Duanqi's residence, Gu Yue was the first to summon his treasure and attack.
He didn't target the walls of the residence but instead struck at the air.
The Great Luo Golden Immortals following Gu Yue didn't hesitate and immediately summoned their treasures to attack.
With just one strike, a hidden Void Array Gate appeared before everyone.
"There really is a concealment array? This is a Void Concealment Array... I understand now," the Grand Array Master muttered.
He finally understood why cultivators from the West Market had disappeared without a trace.
It turned out that someone in the Bai Duan family was proficient in Void Array Patterns.
This was a Void Array! If he could learn it...
The Grand Array Master trembled with excitement.
"Hahaha..."
Gu Yue laughed heartily.
He had been cursing Lan Xiaobu earlier, but now he was filled with excitement and admiration for him.
Talented people, huh? Naturally, they could afford to be a bit disobedient.
"Grand Immortal Official Gu..."
The sixth-grade Grand Array Master called out in a trembling voice.
Gu Yue, in a good mood, waved his hand.
"Grand Array Master Fei, please speak."
The sixth-grade Grand Array Master bowed and said, "This is actually a Void Concealment Array. Only an Array Master who can inscribe Void Array Patterns can set this up. I have an impertinent request—I hope to find the Array Master in the Bai Duan family who inscribed these Void Array Patterns and take him with me. If Grand Immortal Official Gu can help me with this, I, Fei Hongshen, will be eternally grateful. I will do anything you ask."
"Of course, of course. I agree to this," Gu Yue said, eager to enter the Void Array Gate.
Besides, Fei Hongshen's request was nothing to him.
When Fei Hongshen was learning, he could also study alongside him.
Getting Fei Hongshen's promise and being able to ask him about Void Array Patterns—only a fool would refuse such an opportunity.
"Thank you, Grand Immortal Official Gu," Fei Hongshen said, overjoyed, as if he were about to master Void Array Patterns immediately.
*Crack!* The concealment array was completely opened.
Gu Yue was the first to enter, and he immediately saw a massive cauldron.
At the bottom of the cauldron were piles of bones, along with some Immortal Officials he recognized, struggling within.
Fei Hongshen murmured, "This is a Soul Refining Cauldron..."
A Great Luo Golden Immortal asked in confusion, "A Soul Refining Cauldron?"
Gu Yue's face turned ashen.
They had actually captured Immortal Officials from the Forbidden Immortal Bureau to refine their souls.
Fei Hongshen sighed and said, "The Soul Refining Cauldron is one of the most sinister top-grade spiritual treasures. It's said there are Yin and Yang Cauldrons. This must be the Yin Cauldron. If the Yin and Yang Cauldrons are combined, it's said they can transform into an Innate Treasure..."
Even Gu Yue, who had been livid, felt a stir in his heart.
An Innate Treasure... such a thing...
But he quickly calmed down.
Such a treasure was beyond his reach.
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(End of Chapter)