If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1185 The Divine Cauldron is Lost, Lost Again
Akiko and her team's plan was very thorough and executed perfectly.

There were no mistakes or oversights, which perfectly matched their status as "masters".

They don't need to check the time, they don't need to shout "Start the operation" on a walkie-talkie, and they don't even need anyone to organize them or issue unified orders.

Before the third quarter of the hour of Yin (3:45 AM), they were, as usual, either studying the large cauldron or taking a true-to-life image from the underground treasure vault and carefully copying it.

Some people seek enlightenment alone, while others whisper and converse among themselves.

There is absolutely no sign of a "mass defection".

But just as the third quarter of the hour of Yin arrived, the Celestial Masters in the underground treasure vault of the Imperial Observatory seemed to hear the starting gun and simultaneously attacked, tearing apart the dragon energy array of the underground treasure vault from the inside.

A muffled boom came from beneath the earth, and a yellowish-brown malevolent aura spewed out from the crack in the ground, shooting into the sky and forming a hundred-zhang-long wailing dragon.

“Swish swish~~~”

Hundreds of streaks of light, each carrying a glittering ray of spiritual light, sped eastward.

Only then did Lu Jin Gong and the others react, hurriedly flying out from underground and shouting, "Zhong Yuan Gong, have you gone mad? We swore an oath, don't be confused."

Besides, Grand Tutor Yu has been very kind to us, so why provoke her?

"Brother Lu Jin, are you out of your mind? We are all 'Martial Celestial Masters'!" Zhong Yuangong shouted as he flew towards the Yellow River. "Now that the world is at peace for the time being, we can naturally rest easy."

When war breaks out in the Central Plains, we will surely be forced by Yu Fengxian to the battlefield to fight to the death with other immortals.

Those fellow Daoists who helped the heroes of China destroy Qin were acting on behalf of Heaven, blessed by Heaven, and had great merit and good fortune.

Even if they die, they will be blessed and easily reincarnate as immortals in their next life.

Our act of protecting Qin is defying the will of Heaven; we will be cursed by the gods and beaten to death by the great deities.

Hundreds of thousands of years of arduous cultivation, all lost in a single day. In future lifetimes, one must perform good deeds to atone for the sins, and may never again have the chance to ascend to immortality.

Do you think we should submit or not?
Come with us! Yu Fengxian isn't being kind to us; she's feeding us her last meal before we're gone.
As for oaths and promises, brother, don't be so pedantic.

Promises made under duress or deception are worthless.

Even if there is some cause and effect or karma involved, we can repay it by supporting the Dragon Court.

If you asked Lu Jin Gong to speak frankly, he would say: "For a moment, I was truly moved. If the sword on my back hadn't hummed, I would have already made a mistake."

He agreed with Zhong Yuangong's reasoning, but his Dao heart and the "Slaying Immortals" sword path he cultivated throughout his life did not allow him to do so.

Once done, thoughts become blocked, the Dao heart cracks, the sword breaks, and the person is alive, but already ruined.

There are many other civil and military celestial masters who, like him, are devoted to the principles they uphold.

Although they were eager to make a move, they ultimately remained where they were.

Now, let's talk about the foot of Black Ice Terrace Mountain.

At the same time, at the third quarter of the Yin hour, Qiu Mingzi, who was discussing the Daoist teachings of the Ancestral Dragon with Brother Futu, suddenly pressed his palms onto the Phoenix Cry Black Mountain Cauldron.

"Buzz~~ Swoosh~~"

This time, in just two breaths, the three-zhang-tall cauldron melted into the dragon energy from its physical form, transforming into a "primordial energy state" and combining with the dragon energy to form a beam of golden light.

The next instant, "Qiu Mingzi" carried it away for hundreds of feet.

In the blink of an eye, the golden light will disappear into the Qinling Mountains.

The hundred or so celestial masters around them, their faces beaming with joy, remained silent as they chased after the golden light.

"Immortal Qiu Mingzi, how did you suddenly learn to control the cauldron—no, the dragon energy on your body is wrong, it's not the aura of the Qinling Ancestral Dragon."

After a bewildered shout, Brother Futu finally came to his senses.

"Everyone, hurry and chase! Someone has transformed into the immortal Qiu Mingzi and stolen the Great Yu Divine Cauldron!"

He wailed desperately, his heart filled with anxiety, wanting to follow closely behind.

"Brother Futu, don't be foolish!" Haiouzi quickly stepped forward, grabbed him, and said with a strange expression, "You're not even an immortal, and you're just one person, yet you dare to chase after a great immortal? Don't you value your life?"

Brother Futu only realized half of it.

He pointed to the streak of light disappearing into the night sky and shouted, "Can't you see it? Hundreds of people chased after it."

Even if we lack the strength, we can still go along and lend a helping hand, boosting their morale.

Brother Zhang was speechless and said, "You're really stupid."

Seagull sighed, "Brother Futu isn't stupid; he's just been engrossed in cultivation for the past month."

Ignoring everything that happens outside the window and seeing nothing unusual.

He remained completely oblivious to Qiu Mingzi and the others' unusual behavior, never suspecting they would dare to betray the Qin Dynasty.

At this point, he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself, "Alas, it's also our fault for being weak and inexperienced, and not having any value to be won over."

They had clearly been planning this for a long time, but they never contacted us.

There wasn't even a hint.

"If they come looking for you, will you leave?" Brother Zhang asked.

After a moment's hesitation, Haiouzi finally said from the bottom of her heart, "We are ultimately different from Qiumingzi and the others."

They come from prestigious sects and are not lacking in talent and good fortune, so they do not need any benefits from Grand Tutor Yu.

But the heritage of the Ying clan is an inseparable bond for us.

"What a pity, what a hateful thing! They even stole the Divine Cauldron, they certainly won't let the True Form Diagram go either."

"What's going on here?"

At this moment, Guan Zhenren, Lu Jin Gong, and others also flew down from the Black Ice Platform.

Zhang Daoxiong, Haiouzi, and the others quickly recounted the "sudden change" that had just occurred.

Master Guan suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! Qiu Mingzi probably revealed Grand Master Yu's Ancestral Dragon Secret Technique to outsiders."

The one who stole the Divine Cauldron was a Qi Refiner who possessed the rebellious dragon energy. He was very likely from Dazexiang and was Chen Sheng's "National Advisor".

The unusual noise last night was the thief testing his cauldron-controlling technique; the exotic dragon energy clashed with the Qinling Ancestral Dragon.

Brother Futu said anxiously, "Master, stop analyzing the case for now, catching the thief is the most important thing!"

Master Guan wanted to say, "Let's not make a fuss. Let Grand Tutor Yu come back and let her handle it."

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw that the expressions of the various celestial masters were all different.

Some were panicked, some were angry, and some had shifty eyes.
—At this point, morale is low, so it's not appropriate to say anything discouraging!
He sighed inwardly, then rallied his spirits and said, "Gentlemen, do not worry! In fact, before today, Grand Tutor Yu already knew about their plans."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the Celestial Masters changed once again. Some were delighted, some breathed a sigh of relief, and the strange light in some eyes and the strange thoughts in their hearts immediately disappeared.

"Grand Tutor Yu has returned?" Brother Futu was overjoyed. "The Great Yu Cauldron cannot be lost. If the Grand Tutor had a plan, he would definitely be intercepting Qiu Mingzi ahead!"
Let's stop talking and hurry up and catch up.

This time, Zhang Daoxiong, Haiouzi, and others did not try to dissuade them; instead, they immediately chimed in, "That's right, we can do something, after all."

—We may lack strength, but we do have the ability to demonstrate unwavering loyalty to Grand Tutor Yu.

At this moment, it is also necessary to show that one is different from the rebels like Akiko.

Master Guan hesitated only slightly before agreeing, “Following the principle of voluntariness, those who are willing to follow me, let’s set off now.”

There were too many true images, and the rebels scattered and fled, making it impossible to chase them or where to chase them.

The Divine Cauldron is more important than the True Form Diagram, so we should definitely pursue it. In any case, "Qiu Mingzi" is clearly stronger, and under normal circumstances, they shouldn't be able to catch up. If they can actually catch up, it means they've already been stopped by Grand Tutor Yu.

With Grand Tutor Yu present, they can simply cheer and encourage him from the sidelines.

"I'm with Master Guan."

"I am coming too!"

There are no truly foolish people among those who can cultivate immortality.

They could figure out such a simple question very quickly.

Master Guan chanted incantations and hand gestures, summoning the Night Wanderer, who then pinpointed the general direction of the thief who stole the cauldron.

Ignoring everyone else, they went straight for the Divine Cauldron.

The wandering spirit didn't always follow behind "Akiakiko".

The perspectives of the wandering deities and the four duty officers are different from those of normal people.

The scene before the duty officer is a tapestry of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, with different timelines interwoven.

The wandering god's field of vision is 360 degrees without blind spots, both in the sky and on the ground. Moreover, everything within his field of vision seems to be intelligently labeled by AI.

Nothing that exists can escape the eyes of the wandering spirit.

If the psychic were to go to the "Detective Conan world," he could see at a glance that all the traces at the murder scene were clearly marked, indicating which traces belonged to the perpetrator, which came from the victim, and what each trace represented. He would understand it all.

The wandering gods and the officials in charge of recording events in the three realms are responsible for collecting information that will become the big data for the gods to control the world. This data must be guaranteed to be true, reliable, and meticulous.

To put it simply, the divine power and magic bestowed upon them by the divine talismans are specifically dedicated to this work.

Therefore, the wandering spirit could follow the traces of vital energy left by the thief who stole the cauldron and guide Guan Zhenren and the others.

"They are probably really rebels from Dazexiang."

Having determined the direction and given it a while, Master Guan and the other Celestial Masters gained a deeper understanding of the thief's identity.

Because the target is moving in a southeast direction.

After chasing for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the wandering god stopped, pointed to the ground and said, "Master, the thief who stole the cauldron has burrowed underground from here and escaped through earth magic. There is nothing I can do about it."

The Wandering God and the Chief Clerk are very powerful, but they also have their limitations: they can only deal with mortals.

Their divine arts can be countered by the Taoist magic and secret techniques of extraordinary people.

Earth Release is slow, but its advantage lies in its stealth.

"Only the thief who stole the cauldron? What about the other traitorous Celestial Masters?" Chestnut Taoist asked.

“Some scattered, while others followed the earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic or escape technique),” said the wandering god.

"Alas, I finally understand now," sighed Master Guan. "The divine cauldron trembled last night because the thieves must have been trying to control it with earth magic."

The Qinling Mountains are home to the ancestral dragon of the Ying clan, whose dragon energy permeates the land and cannot tolerate any other dragon energy!
But now it is far from Xianyang and far from the Qinling Mountains.

The thief was cunning; he immediately burrowed underground, leaving us with no trace.

“It’s alright! We’ve already guessed they’re from Dazexiang. As long as we keep chasing them southeast, we’re sure to run into the Grand Tutor,” said Brother Futu.

Lu Jin Gong glanced at him and said, "The thieves have all used earth magic. Grand Tutor Yu didn't chase after them immediately. How could we have stopped them?"

Earth-based techniques are subtle and concealed, but they are not impossible to defend against.

You use earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique that allows you to escape through earth), but my earth-遁 is far more sophisticated. We'll chase each other, and sooner or later I'll catch you.

However, if you need to use earth-based escape techniques, you must catch up immediately.

Everyone else had left, and when you dug into the earth, you couldn't find a single trace.

Brother Futu said, "Grand Master Yu is incredibly powerful; I don't know how she will stop the thieves."

But since the Grand Tutor had a plan in place, he would surely be able to stop the thieves.

Lu Jin Gong didn't have such a strong conviction, but he didn't object to continuing to fly towards Dazexiang.

It doesn't matter if we fly directly to Dazexiang.

Having made up their minds, they continued flying forward.

They flew for thousands of miles, through the vast darkness, amidst the endless mountain peaks, the howling of the pines, and the cries of old apes.
Not only did we not see a single ghost, but it was also extremely quiet.

Something's not right when it's quiet.

If Grand Tutor Yu had truly stopped the thieves and a great battle had broken out between them, it wouldn't have been earth-shattering, but at least the sound would have resounded through the sky and traveled for dozens of miles in the quiet of the night; the light of the battle would have dispelled the darkness, allowing even immortals with "spiritual eyes" hundreds of miles away to sense it.

As a result, they saw nothing unusual and heard nothing unusual.

"Below is Wuguan Pass. After passing Wuguan Pass, we will enter the land of Jingchu. Grand Tutor Yu is not going to be stationed outside Dazexiang to intercept the bandits, is he?" Lu Jin asked openly.

Even the most trusted Celestial Masters, such as Master Guan, could not answer this question.

Their confidence remained largely unshaken; they still believed that Grand Tutor Yu would definitely do something.

However, their belief that "Grand Tutor Yu jumped out halfway to stop the thieves" has begun to dissipate.

—If he hasn't made a grand entrance yet, does Grand Tutor Yu have other plans?

Or perhaps too many people defected, and the fake Akiko was too powerful, exceeding her plans?

The group remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Their flight speed gradually slowed down, and their desire to continue flying diminished.

"Hey, esteemed Celestial Masters, look down there! It seems to be Taoist Zhang Hao and True Man Fufeng!" Suddenly, the wandering deity who was leading the way exclaimed in surprise, pointing to the ground.

Everyone perked up and looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a jade ribbon spread out on the dark earth, reflecting shimmering light under the moonlight.

Master Guan looked down and immediately recognized his location: "This is the Dan River, which stretches for three thousand miles. This place already belongs to the Chu region."

"Hey, there's someone on the river! A Qi cultivator!"

The eyes of the Golden Lord flashed with brilliant immortal light, and his body flew downwards.

As he drew closer, he exclaimed again, "It really is Master Zhang! Fellow Daoist Zhang, what are you doing?"

Master Zhang came from the Immortal Island of Xuanzhou in the North Sea. He traveled with Master Zhang to the Central Plains and joined the Imperial Observatory together.

At this moment, Master Zhang and a group of "rebel immortal masters" were splashing around in the Dan River: sometimes emerging from the surface of the water, and sometimes falling from the sky and diving into the bottom of the water.

A dozen or so immortals used their supernatural powers to leap and splash about in the great river, causing the water to ripple.

It looks very strange.

"Oh no! We've wasted too much time, Yu Fengxian is catching up!"

Zhang Zhenren, who was engrossed in jumping around, didn't even notice that someone was chasing after him from the Northwest.

Hearing the call, he turned around and was immediately terrified.

With a terrified cry, it plunged into the river and disappeared.

"I knew it! The loss of the Divine Cauldron must be Yu Fengxian's doing. You're still not giving up and insist on causing trouble. Run! Run! The Divine Cauldron is precious, but your lives are more important!"

Master Fufeng's screams were more piercing than the cries of monkeys on both banks, yet he didn't dive into the water. "Don't go into the water! Don't go into the water! Yu Fengxian is most skilled in water escape techniques. Let's scatter and escape, every one of us who can get away is welcome!"

Guan Zhenren, Lu Jin Gong, and the others were baffled. "The Divine Cauldron is missing? What do you mean? Didn't you steal the Divine Cauldron?"

(End of this chapter)