"Of course. We haven't forgotten about Yao Changying's Transgressions. On some level they are worse than Feng Baxing too." The Vermillion Bird spoke.
"Indeed. Perhaps she might have ended up in the same situation if not for the fact that Mu Lin could still defeat her. And her latter actions were still within the strength of our elders to stop.
But Feng Baxing just had to use the Imperial Might Talisman and unleash the power of a Transcendent Immortal." Azure Dragon agreed.
"Speaking of that… Senior do you have any insights into Yao Changying's actions?" The White Tiger asked. "Her being able to use Withering Dao is questionable."
"We have discussed about it too. It is hard to tell how she obtained it as there are several methods to do so in the many worlds. Since she has traveled to multiple worlds, there is no telling where she managed to acquire it from.
There are still limitations to obtaining concrete information. We did hear about the expedition she went on where most of her companions died. Due to a lack of witnesses, we do not know what exactly happened there.
Our people in the Shang Dynasty have told us though that Yao Changying had defrauded them." The Yellow Dragon explained.
"There is indeed a lot of mixed information out there. I think we need to open a formal investigation into it too. There are people who knew the victims and I think we can learn more from them." The Black Tortoise stated.
The Yellow Dragon went silent for a minute after hearing that and thought about it all.
"Anything else that is of concern?" he asked knowing that he needed to leave soon.
"Well… there was the appearance of the Violet Mystic Life Tree which was used by a Demon to offset a Transcendent Immortal Tribulation." The White Tiger spoke. "It happened in the Holy Topaz Continent."
"That is not of our concern." The Yellow Dragon replied. "No matter what humans think, the Demons are still a race that venerates us and is protected by us. We won't discriminate and interfere in their personal conflicts unless it violates the rules of the immortal court." It added.
"Of course, we understand." The Guardians replied.
"Hmm… did any of the emperors ask the temple to interfere?" The Yellow dragon narrowed its eyes.
"Thankfully not. They know well enough we won't interfere in these matters." The Azure Dragon answered.
"That's good." The Yellow dragon responded, before going silent.
The Guardians let the beast think about the next course of action and waited for his words for five minutes.
"Get the Temple to proceed with the investigation and question all those that were affected by it. I'll also get the others to investigate on my end." The Yellow Dragon finally spoke.
"We won't be able to stay awake for long though Senior." The Vermillion Bird reminded.
"That is fine. Just tell the temple elders to do so and forward the information to the Immortal Court. We'll handle the rest." The Yellow Dragon replied.
"As you command, senior." The Azure Dragon bowed his head once more.
~shua~
The figure of the Yellow Dragon started to fade after that. And half a minute later it was gone.
~Sigh~
The Vermillion Bird shook its head and looked at the other guardians before disappearing wordlessly.
The others did the same, as their time was close. They had already extended the time they could stay awake and had to use a part of their power to communicate the issues to their own clans.
Lin Mu was wholly unaware of all that had happened in the guardian hall after he left. He would have never thought that the incidents all had him linked in it.
He had just left the corridor and met up with the Crown Prince and High Elder Juxue.
"Ah, you're back." High Elder Juxue spoke.
"And you two are still here. I thought you'd be gone since it took so long," Lin Mu replied.
"Long?" The High Elder raised his brows. "That was short."
"Yeah… Depending on what reward you get, it can take much longer than that." Crown Prince Feng Shun replied. "Usually if the winners get some resources, it is fast. They leave within an hour. But for techniques and skills, it can take much longer. I heard that one of the winners took an entire week before they left, didn't they High Elder?" he turned to the old man.
"Yes… it was one of the former emperors of the Huiqing Empire. But that was a long time ago." High Elder Juxue confirmed. "That tournament had also ended within a month and was rather short. There weren't many participants either due to the ongoing war at that time." He informed.
"That was almost forty thousand years ago if I remember correctly. The War between Rust Sky World and Feilei World." Feng Shun spoke. "The Imperial Tutor taught us about it. It was also the war that brought us the most casualties and almost ended in our loss." He added.
Lin Mu was interested after hearing that.
"What was the war about?" he asked.
"Honestly… no idea." Feng Shang replied. "Official accounts state that it was due to the sects of the Feilei World killing our people. But the other details do not match up."
"It was just another war over resources." High Elder Juxue stated. "It doesn't matter who started or ended it, it is all the same in the end."
"Indeed." Feng Shun nodded his head.
Lin Mu showed an understanding expression. After all, he too had seen a war that had basically resulted in the same thing.
"Resources are almost always behind it." Lin Mu muttered.
Feng Shun raised a brow hearing that though, as he could feel the experience in Lin Mu's voice.
'Seems like the junior has experienced more things than I thought.' Even High Elder Juxue could tell the same.
They didn't ask Lin Mu about it though, knowing it wasn't their place to do so.
"So, what do you wish to do now?" Crown Prince Feng Shun questioned.
He had been asked to watch over Lin Mu by the Emperor, after all. There was no way he could leave him unattended.
"For now… Some rest," Lin Mu replied. "I've obtained the techniques that I wanted and I do want to practice them, but there are other things I need to get in order too." He added.
"Ah yes, your companions are waiting for you, after all." Crown Prince Feng Shun said before looking at the High Elder. "We shall take our leave, High Elder."
"Go on. I'll contact you if there is anything." High Elder Juxue said to Lin Mu.
"Goodbye, High Elder." Lin Mu said before leaving along with the Crown Prince.
While Lin Mu did feel like wanting to observe the murals a bit more, he also knew that he had a lot on his plate already. Just the techniques he had gotten would take a while to learn.
'Especially the Litany Of the Verdant Forest… I'll even need a specific location for it.' Lin Mu thought to himself.
It was a technique that would require Lin Mu to settle in one location for a long time and cultivate. It was entirely dependent on one's luck and comprehension as such one needed to pick the perfect place for it.
'I guess I'll ask them for a suggestion later,' Lin Mu reckoned as he left the Temple.
"You should still be able to fly, so follow along." Crown Prince Feng Shun said as he took to the skies.
~SHUA~
Lin Mu did the same and the two quickly made their way to the Crown Prince's mansion.
Along the way, Lin Mu passed by the Tournament grounds and saw that it had mostly become empty. It was clear that the people had all left in a hurry due to what had happened, and the place was now cordoned off.
On the other hand, the surrounding areas were now bustling with life. The Restaurants and other establishments now had a boom due to the rapid influx of millions of cultivators.
Lin Mu was thankful that he didn't need to walk, as there was a high chance they would have gotten stuck in the crowds.
About twenty minutes later, the two finally landed in the compound of the mansion. The security was still as high as ever and the guards were patrolling regularly.
They greeted the Crown Prince upon his arrival and escorted them inside the mansion.
"Let's go to the central hall, everyone is waiting there." Crown Prince Feng Shun stated. "The reward from my end is also in order."
"Alright." Lin Mu too wished to talk to his companions.
A couple minutes later, he was greeted with multiple shouts.
"Congratulations!"
"Brother Mu Lin is the winner!"
Lin Mu's companions all shouted upon seeing him.
"I knew you would win." Crown Princess Shang smiled upon seeing him.
"Though you certainly had to go through some tough tribulations to get through it all." Monk Hushu added.
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