Just as everyone thought Ye Xuan was doomed and at the end of his rope, the Celestial Secret Pavilion proactively spread a message.
"The Celestial Secret Pavilion will not participate in the killing of Ye Xuan."
The moment this news came out, it swept through the entire Kingdom like a stormy sea.
"What? The Celestial Secret Pavilion refuses to make a move?"
"What’s going on? Doesn’t Sun Juguang of the Celestial Secret Pavilion have a grudge against Ye Xuan? Ye Xuan killed so many from the Sun Family and even severed one of his hands. How could they not take action?"
"It’s better if they don’t. This means no one will know where Ye Xuan is hiding! He can still survive!"
"As long as he lives, he represents a force that gives us unprecedented motivation."
"It’s good that he’s alive, it’s good that he’s alive! It’s just that it will be too difficult for him to show his face in the future."
At this moment, within the Liu Family in Chasing Moon City.
"Taishu Shen, the Celestial Secret Pavilion isn’t making a move? Do you know why?" Liu Ruoxi’s surprised voice rang out.
Taishu Shen furrowed his brow slightly and replied, "I don’t know either. Logically speaking, the Celestial Secret Pavilion definitely should have taken action. Could it be that the price offered wasn’t high enough? But that’s impossible. A little bit of resources from each of the fifty City Lords adds up to a very generous offer. It’s strange..."
"You don’t know either? Why is this Ye Xuan so lucky that the Celestial Secret Pavilion actually refuses to take action? Is it really that hard to kill him?"
Liu Ruoxi originally thought that it would be difficult for her alone to kill Ye Xuan. She wondered why it had become just as difficult for the City Lords of an entire city to kill him.
"Who knows? The Celestial Secret Pavilion has always been unpredictable in its actions, and no one can sway their decisions. They aren’t making a move right now, but there’s no telling if they might think things through and decide to act after some time. Perhaps they genuinely feel that the fifty City Lords haven’t shown enough sincerity."
At the same time, in Hero City.
The fifty City Lords gathered in the council hall. Their expressions were extremely ugly.
"What do you all think of the Celestial Secret Pavilion’s statement?"
"If you ask me, there’s absolutely no way they refused to act just because the resources we offered were too poor."
"Indeed. I used some connections to ask around, and it seems the Celestial Secret Pavilion Master personally issued an order forbidding all pavilion disciples from participating in anything related to the siege on Ye Xuan."
"What? Tan Jingang gave the order himself? Could he possibly know Ye Xuan? By the way, have you guys heard of *Ye Xuan’s Record*?"
"I’ve heard it. That brat has already become an idol in the hearts of the weak across the world! To think there are actually so many people in rural towns hoping that Ye Xuan survives. What, don’t tell me you’ve also been swayed by his deeds? Hmph, that brat is lawless and ignores the rules. He deserves to die!"
"No, I was just thinking about where Ye Xuan actually went during the thirteen years he was away from home. Why does he possess such terrifying talent and achievements upon his return? Now, even the Celestial Secret Pavilion refuses to touch him. Is it possible that he joined the Celestial Secret Pavilion during those thirteen years away?"
"That... that shouldn’t be possible, right? I’ve never heard of such a thing! Unless he is someone’s secret disciple. Could he be Tan Jingang’s secret disciple?"
"Impossible. Tan Jingang has incredibly high standards. He is hailed as the most talented Pavilion Master in history, second only to the founding patriarch, the Celestial Secret Master. He has lived for three hundred years yet has never taken a disciple because no one has ever caught his eye. Could this Ye Xuan really become his disciple?"
"I also think it’s impossible. You all know Taishu Shen, right? He is universally acknowledged as a Dragon among Men across the one hundred and eight sub-cities, with talent no weaker than those Demons in the Main City. Taishu Shen had always been interested in the Inference Technique and wanted to go to the Celestial Secret Pavilion to take Tan Jingang as his master. But Tan Jingang merely glanced at him and flatly said four words: ’You have no talent.’ Then he turned and left. If even Taishu Shen couldn’t catch Tan Jingang’s eye, could Ye Xuan?"
"Alright, there’s no need to argue about this. We should all focus on what to do next. The Celestial Secret Pavilion refuses to act, and we can’t find him ourselves. This feeling of being utterly powerless is truly frustrating."
"What else can we do? We can only order our subordinates in various regions to intensify their search. I refuse to believe they can hide for a lifetime."
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Over this half-month, the uproar surrounding Ye Xuan wasn’t as intense as it had been at the very beginning. The fifty City Lords also returned to their respective cities because Ye Xuan still hadn’t been found. He seemed to have vanished from the world, leaving not a single trace behind.
Initially, a city would send people to search everywhere, but after half a month, no one was putting as much effort into such a tedious task.
From that day onward, the authorities in various regions began arresting the storytellers in major inns instead. An official decree was issued strictly forbidding anyone from telling *Ye Xuan’s Record*.
During this time, rumors began spreading among the common folk. Some said that the reason Ye Xuan couldn’t be found was that he was already dead. The ones who killed him weren’t the City Lords of a sub-city, but an expert from the Main City!
The rumor claimed that on that day, the scene of Ye Xuan slaughtering the City Lord happened to be witnessed by a Main City expert. He had long been waiting on the Ye Family’s escape route, and with a single strike, he shattered the earth and sky, darkening the sun and moon.
"Ye Xuan is dead? Now that you mention it, I think I saw it happen!"
"You saw it?"
"Yes, I was traveling that day when I suddenly saw towering dark clouds in the distance. It looked as if a terrifying Exotic Beast was soaring through the sky. Thinking back on it now, that must have been the Main City expert wiping out the Ye Family. At the time, I thought there were experts battling ahead, so I didn’t dare get closer. Plus, it was too far away; even if I had gone over, I wouldn’t have made it in time."
"But why wouldn’t the Main City expert inform the Sub-City Lords after killing Ye Xuan?"
"Why would they need to? The experts from the Main City do whatever they please. If they kill someone, they kill someone. Do you really expect them to speak up to explain and admit to it?"
"That’s true. The people of the Main City are incredibly arrogant. No wonder Ye Xuan couldn’t be found all this time. It looks like he really is dead!"
These rumors were vivid and highly convincing, causing many people to believe them. Aside from death, they couldn’t imagine any other way for so many of the Ye Family to remain perfectly hidden.
Big Mountain.
Ye Xuan stood at the summit, looking down at the foot of the mountain. His brows were slightly furrowed.
All in all, he had been in this utopia for over a month. Unable to advance his cultivation, he spent every day trying to comprehend Arrays. However, inspiration was not so easy to find.
He had tried many methods, but none allowed him to improve upon the foundation of a rank-four Array to create a rank-five Array.
He thought, "Staying in here all the time isn’t a long-term solution. I can’t stay cooped up anymore; I have to go out!"
Although Ye Xuan desperately wanted to raise his Array level, haste makes waste. He still had to figure out a way to prioritize advancing his cultivation. He needed to go out and search for resources; he couldn’t just remain there indefinitely.
Ye Xuan already had a bold idea.
He would go to Hero City again. But it wouldn’t be to kill the Sun Family. Instead, it would be to open the three-star Secret Realm.
The Sun Family had definitely entered the three-star Secret Realm before, but they wouldn’t have killed all the Beasts inside.
Ye Xuan’s target was Beasts of rank-five, tier-eight and above, including rank-six Beasts.
Except for the young, he would kill them all.