Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1479 - 800: Yun Qing Reveals Herself, Minister Elders

Right after Zhao Sheng triumphed over the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation and broke through to the Unification Realm, on the summit of a splendid nine-tiered pagoda overlooking a vast stellar river, a middle-aged Daoist in starry attire rested calmly at the observation deck, staring at the sparkling cosmos beneath. Frost touched his temples lightly, and his gaze held profound depth, as though he had weathered endless eras.

In that instant, within the southwestern reaches of the luminous star river, a single star gradually appeared, then flared up abruptly, its intense glow briefly eclipsing the countless twinkling lights across the heavens.

Seeing this, the middle-aged Daoist's face shifted subtly, and he found himself opening his eyes wider, blurting out, "The stars have converged! Who just managed to create a Grotto Heaven? Wait, this is serious; I need to alert the Hall Master right away."

With those words, the middle-aged Daoist flicked his sleeve, sending a speck of starlight shooting through the emptiness straight toward the heart of the Taiyi Hall in the Spirit Palace.

Before long, multiple rays of streaming light raced back from the outer realms, one after another slipping into the Taiyi Hall.

The Taiyi Hall formed its own Grotto Heaven, where the internal space rivaled that of a Middle Thousand World in scale.

Now, high in the Ninth Layer Cloud Sky, three masses of lucky clouds drifted close, each bearing a grand silhouette shrouded in misty brilliance.

At once, the glow faded away, uncovering an elderly Daoist with a boyish visage and silver locks, a woman of pure features adorned with a headdress, and a plump, hefty fellow baring his torso.

"Yun Qing pays respects to the Hall Master," the woman with the clear visage offered a polite bow to the elderly Daoist.

The plump, hefty fellow lounged back on his lucky cloud, hailing the elderly Daoist, "Senior Brother, what's the reason for calling me here? I've got a mountain of tasks back at the Qintian Guard; I'm swamped!"

This elegant, otherworldly elderly Daoist served as the present Hall Master of the Taiyi Spirit Palace, famed as Bai Qi, who had endured the Wind and Fire Tribulation and stood out even among Tribulation Crossing Venerables.

The plump, hefty fellow held the role of Grand Governor for the Qintian Guard, Zheng Beichen, also called Bai Ji, with his cultivation exceeding the Tribulation Crossing stage.

"Skip the ceremonies, Junior Brother Zheng. What's the progress on the probe?" The elderly Daoist Bai Qi dismissed with a wave and inquired.

The plump fellow arched his brows and replied, "We've pieced most of it together; yes, a traitor lurks in the upper ranks of the Spirit-controlling Immortal Sect. But this traitor hides deep. On the Mao Immortal Peak battlefield, every last Law Fluctuation got wiped clean, erasing all traces, so that trail's gone cold."

"Even with you stepping in yourself, no signs turned up?" The elderly Daoist Bai Qi creased his forehead a bit and questioned.

"Anyone bold enough to covertly ally with the Alien Demon Clan stays extra vigilant daily. Plus, those ancient immortals in the Spirit-controlling Immortal Sect keep a sharp watch on me. Finding anything would've been a shock," the plump fellow remarked with scorn.

"Given that, it's no surprise you're held back. Anyway, dealing with the traitor calls for a drawn-out strategy," the elderly Daoist Bai Qi responded mildly.

"Plus, I gathered you both for one more pressing issue to resolve. Moments ago, word came from the observatory that a Half-Immortal of the Void in the southwest of the Spirit Realm has just ascended to the Unification Realm. His origins and details escape me, so Junior Brother and Junior Sister, please track down his identity swiftly."

Hearing this, the plump fellow's eyes lit up, and he declared at once, "Leave it to me. The Qintian Guard boasts loads of agents; our network spans the Four Continents and Eight Seas, making us pros at intel collection and locating folks."

"Hall Master, with so many cultivators at Returning to Void Perfection in the Spirit Immortal Sects and Immortal Gates, might this be one of them?" The clear-featured woman, who had stayed quiet until then, spoke up abruptly.

"Impossible; every Spirit Immortal Sect and Immortal Gate employs methods to mask starlight, so this individual can't belong to any of them," the elderly Daoist Bai Qi glanced at her and clarified with patience.

His junior sister had only recently awakened, losing much of her former recollections and overlooking basic "common knowledge," which prompted this "naive" inquiry.

Should Zhao Sheng witness this, shock would grip him, for this clear-featured woman was none other than the Xue Susu of old.

She now went by Yun Qing.

Without doubt, Xue Susu had faced a tragic end, and the Yun Qing Venerable had plainly seized her form to reincarnate.

Naturally, Zhao Sheng harbored doubts about this too, unaware that his hunches had proven accurate.

In that instant, a ray of streaming light ascended from the Cloud Sea far below, landing promptly in the elderly Daoist Bai Qi's grasp.

A single breath passed, and the elderly Daoist Bai Qi's face registered surprise, then he knit his brows faintly and uttered gravely: "No further search required; we've got the person's background. He's Zhao Xi, hailing from the Divine Artisan Zhao Clan in a minor Immortal Faction of the Four Holy Continents. To the world, he's the Thunder God. Intel states his age falls short of three thousand years. If accurate, his talent is one-of-a-kind, and he might even hold an Immortal Form!"

"Senior Brother, you're sure his name is Zhao Xi? Did he join the two-race clash in the Vermilion Bird Star System before?" Xue Yunqing's face altered sharply as she pressed the point.

"The report doesn't cover that. Still, the info comes from the Painting Fool, guaranteeing its reliability," the elderly Daoist Bai Qi denied with a headshake.

Hmm?

Thanks to his Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart, the plump fellow grasped the implication right away, letting out a quiet 'hmm' before probing, "Has Junior Sister crossed paths with him in the past?"

Xue Yunqing drew in a steadying breath, composed herself once more, and stated evenly, "Indeed, several centuries back, fate brought us together on a top-secret assignment. We're on familiar terms."

Upon this revelation, the elderly Daoist Bai Qi mused out loud, "The mission Junior Sister speaks of—is it really that one from back then..."