The First Marquis of Daxuan

"If you all have a clear conscience, then what are you afraid of?"

Li Tianzun's gaze swept over everyone, his face filled with madness.

"My Sky Dome Sect has been investigated, so why can you remain uninvolved?"

He's acting like this: "If I fall into the water, none of you can stay on the shore; if we're going to die, we'll all die together!"

"I agree."

He Tianzun said, "If we still can't find the traitor after investigating the Cangqiong Sect, then we can start by investigating my disciples."

The Void Beasts of the Void Realm are now eyeing us covetously. A thorough investigation would only benefit our Yang Realm.

As they spoke, He Tianzun also looked at Su Mu.

"Lord Su Yang, this can be considered our gift to you upon taking office."

We've given you a clear and peaceful mortal realm; in return, you must protect this realm for us, ensuring that no beast from the Void Realm sets foot within it.

He Tianzun said to Su Mu.

"That's natural."

Su Mu smiled faintly and said.

"Li Tianzun, do you have any further objections?"

He Tianzun looked at Li Tianzun and said in a deep voice.

He has already made his point to this extent, and he himself has already taken the initiative. If Li Tianzun continues to hesitate, then he would truly be ungrateful.

The Heavenly Venerables, including Dao Tianzun, secretly gave him a thumbs up, praising He Tianzun for being such a kind old man.

Otherwise, if we let that mad dog Li Tianzun run rampant, who knows what might happen?

"Very well, I'd like to see what you can find out!"

Li Tianzun said coldly, "Vice Sect Master Wu, issue the order to summon all disciples of the Azure Sky Sect who are training outside back to the sect!"

Among the audience, a powerful member of the Azure Sky Sect bowed and said, "Yes!"

He turned and left in a hurry.

A moment later, a firework shot into the sky.

"please."

Li Tianzun said, "He Tianzun, I allow you to use the Mind-Questioning Technique on the disciples of the Azure Sky Sect, but if you dare to take the opportunity to investigate the secrets of my Azure Sky Sect, then don't blame me for turning my back on you."

"I understand the rules."

He Tianzun said with a smile.

Li Tianzun naturally couldn't summon all the disciples of the Azure Sky Sect to Da Xuan. To find out who stole the Meteor Shuttle from the Azure Sky Sect and gave it to the Void Beast, he would have to go to the Azure Sky Sect.

All the Celestial Venerables will definitely be going.

As the Lord of Yang, Su Mu, a martial artist below the Heavenly Venerable level, must go.

In addition, he selected some powerful figures from various forces to accompany him, while the remaining martial artists would remain in the Great Xuan Dynasty until Su Mu returned and a decision was made.

…………

A group of Celestial Venerables, along with a group of renowned and powerful figures, descended upon the Azure Sky Sect.

However, no one in the Azure Sky Sect felt any sense of honor.

They only feel humiliated now.

Fortunately, the person who took the lead this time was He Tianzun.

The murderous gazes of the Cangqiong Sect disciples were all focused on He Tianzun.

As for Su Mu, who had previously made a big splash, he was unusually low-key during this operation.

Su Mu followed behind the Celestial Venerables, never speaking unless absolutely necessary.

From the moment the Void Beast suddenly appeared and launched a sneak attack at the Yang Lord Conference, Su Mu keenly sensed the scent of a conspiracy.

Unsure whether the conspiracy was directed at him, Su Mu felt that keeping a low profile was the best option.

He tried his best to minimize his presence.

As it turned out, his intuition was correct.

If he were still in charge of things as the Lord of Yang, the hatred of the Cangqiong Sect disciples would likely fall on him.

Although he was not afraid of the Azure Sky Sect, he did not want to be unjustly blamed for this.

It would be best if He Tianzun were willing to step forward.

As He Tianzun summoned dozens of Cangqiong Sect disciples to his side, he began to use the Heart-Questioning Technique.

Only then did Su Mu realize that He Tianzun was following the path of divine soul martial arts.

His soul is powerful; he can search a martial artist's soul in the blink of an eye.

He then used a secret technique to ask the disciples of the Azure Sky Sect a few questions.

The disciples of the Azure Sky Sect seemed to be hypnotized, and obediently gave their answers.

This scene sent chills down Su Mu's spine.

There is indeed an insurmountable chasm between Celestial Venerables and ordinary martial artists.

If the Celestial Venerable were to truly stoop to attacking an ordinary martial artist, the ordinary martial artist would have absolutely no chance to resist.

No wonder Li Tianzun reacted so strongly before.

For the Cangqiong Sect to accept He Tianzun's Heart-Searching Technique was undoubtedly taking a huge risk.

Whenever He Tianzun had any particular intentions, he could take the opportunity to search the souls of the Cangqiong Sect disciples.

In that case, everything about the Azure Sky Sect will be laid bare before He Tianzun, leaving no secrets whatsoever.

Just as He Tianzun was using the Mind-Questioning Technique, Li Tianzun was staring intently at the other party.

They were afraid that He Tianzun might do something unnecessary.

The other Celestial Venerables, on the other hand, launched an investigation into the weapon pavilion of the Azure Sky Sect, attempting to find traces left by thieves.

Just as He Tianzun was interrogating each disciple of the Cangqiong Sect in a flurry of activity, the Thief Tianzun suddenly raised his voice.

"I know who stole the Meteor Shuttle."

Thief Celestial Venerable said to Celestial Venerable He and Celestial Venerable Li, "Old He, you don't need to ask anymore. You won't get anything out of them. The Azure Sky Sect has been wronged."

A look of surprise flashed across Li Tianzun's face.

He never expected that the Heavenly Thief Venerable would speak up for their Azure Sky Sect.

Back in the Great Xuan Dynasty, he had a tendency to belittle the Heavenly Thief.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just stating the facts."

Thief Celestial noticed Li Celestial's expression and sneered, "I still don't have a good impression of you, Li Celestial. I'll try to learn from your skills when I have the chance!"

"Brother Thief, you say the Azure Sky Sect has been wronged, but do you have any evidence?"

He Tianzun interrupted the two and asked.

As the saying goes, "The net of heaven is vast, its meshes are wide, yet nothing escapes it; wherever someone passes by, there will be a trace."

"The Heavenly Thief said loudly."

All the celestial beings frowned and asked, "Where is your evidence? What's the point of all this cryptic talk?"
However, they also knew that this was the nature of the Thief Lord; he loved to play tricks and deceive people.

"You mean you found traces left by the thieves who stole the Meteor Shuttle?"

He Tianzun promptly set up a platform and said.

"Yes."

The Thief Celestial said, "In the word 'thief,' I am the true ancestor."

He thought his methods were very clever, but he couldn't fool someone's eyes.

"Lord Thief, who exactly did this? Can you please tell us?"

Li Tianzun couldn't help but ask. Although he was anxious, his tone was noticeably more polite than before.

Now, the Heavenly Thief has become the key figure in proving the innocence of their Azure Sky Sect.

"If I find out who it is, I will tear them apart!"

Li Tianzun gritted his teeth and said.

Stealing the treasure of the Azure Sky Sect, framing the Azure Sky Sect for colluding with the Void Beast, and causing Li Tianzun to lose face—Li Tianzun wished he could immediately find the mastermind behind all these things and tear him to pieces.

Have any of you heard of the Thousand-Faced Buddha?

"The Heavenly Thief said in a deep voice."

"The Thousand-Faced Buddha? Isn't he already dead?"

Lei Tianzun frowned.

"Everyone says he's dead, but has anyone seen his body?"

The Heavenly Thief asked in return.

"The Thousand-Faced Buddha is ever-changing, and no one has ever seen his true face. How could anyone have seen his corpse?"

Li Tianzun said, "You're saying he's the one who framed our Azure Sky Sect?"

After a celestial being explained a few words, Su Mu and the others finally understood who the Thousand-Faced Buddha was.

While younger martial artists might not have heard of the Thousand-Faced Buddha, his name is widely known and respected among older martial artists.

The Thousand-Faced Buddha is a mysterious and powerful figure. He has a thousand faces and his strength is as great as that of a god or Buddha.

"Exactly."

The Thief Celestial said, "Although the Thousand-Faced Buddha has a thousand faces, no matter how he changes his appearance, there are some things he cannot hide."

I've studied his methods carefully, and I'm certain he's the one who stole the Meteor Shuttle.

When the Thousand-Faced Buddha was active, his favorite thing to do was to steal treasures from all over the world.

The Thief Lord is the ancestor of all thieves in the world, and the actions of the Thousand-Faced Buddha have undoubtedly offended him.

To be honest, the Heavenly Thief and the Thousand-Faced Buddha once competed for the position of Heavenly Thief.

Of course, the Heavenly Thief won in the end, which is why the Heavenly Thief exists today.

The Thousand-Faced Buddha failed to become a Celestial Venerable, and logically speaking, he should have already exhausted his lifespan.

As a former rival, Thief Celestial Venerable had very complicated feelings towards the Thousand-Faced Buddha. He never expected that he would be able to find the unique aura of the Thousand-Faced Buddha in the weapon pavilion of the Azure Sky Sect today.

Listening to the discussions of the celestial beings, Su Mu glanced at Mao Jiu with a strange expression.

The idea that someone likes to steal treasures sounds a lot like Mao Jiu's, doesn't it?
"not me."

Cat Nine noticed Su Mu's gaze, rolled her eyes, and transmitted her voice in an annoyed tone, "When the Thousand-Faced Buddha was active, he was much stronger than me. Back then, he claimed that there was nothing he couldn't steal, and he never failed. He is a role model for us."

Cat Nine looked on with envy.

It's clear that it's not a thousand-faced deity, but it really wants to be one.

"The Thousand-Faced Buddha did not become a Celestial Venerable back then. Given his age, he would have long since exhausted his lifespan. How could it be him?"

"He Tianzun asked."

"Who knows how many treasures the Thousand-Faced Buddha possesses? It wouldn't be surprising if he had rare and precious materials that could prolong life."

Thief Celestial Sage shrugged and said, "Even if it wasn't the Thousand-Faced Buddha himself, the person who made the move must be a successor of the Thousand-Faced Buddha."

The aura of the Thousand-Faced Buddha's unique secret techniques still lingers in this military pavilion; I'm absolutely certain I'm not mistaken.

"However, I am more inclined to believe that the Thousand-Faced Buddha is still alive. If he were his successor, he probably wouldn't be able to achieve such a high level of skill."

The Heavenly Thief sighed, "Even if I were to take action myself, this is the best I could do."

"Your Sky Pirate Sect's defenses are already perfect, but unfortunately you've encountered the Thousand-Faced Buddha."

Li Tianzun's brows were so furrowed they could trap a fly.

He now realizes that things are getting increasingly complicated.

If the mastermind is someone else, he will immediately capture that person and tear them to pieces.

But what the Thousand-Faced Buddha said—

The Thousand-Faced Buddha has roamed the world for hundreds of years, but no one has ever seen his true face, and no one knows his true identity.

In this situation, even Li Tianzun would not be able to find the Thousand-Faced Buddha.

“Brother Thief, you know the most about the Thousand-Faced Buddha. Do you have a way to find him?” Li Tianzun asked in a deep voice.

He paused for a moment, then added, "If Brother Dao can help me find the Thousand-Faced Buddha, my entire Azure Sky Sect will owe you a favor."

"Although I really want you to owe me a favor, unfortunately, I don't know."

Thief Celestial shrugged and said, "I do hope to take advantage of this opportunity to find him."

To be honest, I've fought the Thousand-Faced Buddha my whole life, and I still haven't seen his true face. This is the biggest regret of my life.

"If it really is the Thousand-Faced Buddha playing tricks, what is his motive?"

One Heavenly Venerable Dao.

"Back then, the Thousand-Faced Buddha failed to seize the position of Heavenly Venerable. He may have been full of resentment, and this may have been his revenge."

"Another Celestial Venerable said."

"If that's really the case, then he has already colluded with the Void Realm, and he may be hiding in the Void Realm. Finding him would be as difficult as climbing to the sky."

A celestial being shook his head and said.

"Even if we find the Thousand-Faced Buddha, we might not be able to do anything to him. After so many years, who knows how far his abilities have come?"

The power of the Thousand-Faced Buddha made even the Heavenly Venerables somewhat wary.

"It's not entirely impossible to find the Thousand-Faced Buddha."

Suddenly, the Heavenly Thief spoke.

"Didn't you say you didn't know where he was?"

Li Tianzun blurted out, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized they sounded a bit awkward, so he quickly added, "I mean, Brother Dao, do you have any ideas?"

"The trouble should end it."

The Celestial Thief smiled mysteriously and said, "I remember your Azure Sky Sect has a Celestial Sphere, right?"

Li Tianzun's expression hardened, and he said in a deep voice, "The celestial globe is not used to find people."

Su Mu hid in the crowd, watching with great interest.

As expected of the Azure Sky Sect, its foundation is extraordinary, with treasures appearing one after another.

Su Mu used to find it strange that he had fought against the Cangqiong Sect several times but hadn't discovered anything remarkable about them.

Now he realizes that he was naive.

The true strength of the Azure Sky Sect is revealed from time to time.

First came the meteor shuttle, and now a celestial globe has appeared.

Even Su Mu now wouldn't be able to produce these things.

That's what true depth and heritage are all about.

"I know that the armillary sphere is not used to find people."

The Celestial Thief said, "This celestial sphere is not used to directly find the Thousand-Faced Buddha."

"What do you mean?"

Li Tianzun was a little confused; he hated the way Dao Tianzun acted so secretively.

However, since the Heavenly Thief is now helping their Azure Sky Sect prove their innocence, he can't directly lash out and can only suppress his patience.

"I may not be able to find the Thousand-Faced Buddha, but there is one person in this world who can. If you want this person to help you, you have to give him something in return."

The Thief Celestial said, "Give him the Celestial Instrument and ask him to help you. Then you will be able to find the Thousand-Faced Buddha."

"Give away the armillary sphere?"

Li Tianzun frowned.

The celestial sphere, like the meteor shuttle, is a treasure of their Azure Sky Sect. How could they just give it away to someone else?
“Li Tianzun, as the saying goes, you can’t catch a wolf without risking your cub. If you’re unwilling to part with this celestial globe, then there’s nothing I can do.”

The Heavenly Thief shrugged and said.

"Let me make it clear first, this armillary sphere is not something I want; I'm just helping out voluntarily."

"My Sky Sect will never mistreat my friends."

Li Tianzun said in a deep voice, "But this Hun Tian Yi is very important to my Cang Qiong Sect. Can we exchange it for another one?"
We can give you spirit stones, as many as you want.

No matter how many spirit stones you have, that's the foundation of the Azure Sky Sect.

"Li Tianzun, is this the time to bargain?"

The Heavenly Thief said irritably, "Even if you take out the Armillary Sphere, they might not agree to it."

If you think the Sky Dome Sect's innocence is more important than a Celestial Instrument, then disregard what I said.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with me; I'm just helping out for free.

“Brother Li, now is not the time to be petty. The Celestial Instrument can be rebuilt after you are gone, but if you cannot capture the Thousand-Faced Buddha, your Azure Sky Sect will have to bear the infamy of colluding with the Void Beast.”

He Tianzun advised, "If you ask me, this is something worth doing."

Other celestial beings also offered their advice.

Even Li Tianzun's allies advised him to hand over the Hun Tian Yi.

Li Tianzun frowned.

He was certainly unwilling to hand over the armillary sphere, but now it seemed that he had no choice but to do so.

"Brother Thief, who is this person you're talking about? Could it be that only the Armillary Sphere can persuade him?"

Li Tianzun said somewhat unwillingly.

The Azure Sky Sect possesses many treasures, but the Celestial Instrument is unique.

In some ways, the armillary sphere is even more valuable than the meteor shuttle.

He would rather give away the meteor shuttle than lose the armillary sphere.

“He doesn’t lack spirit stones or divine weapons. After thinking it over, I think only this celestial globe has the potential to move him.”

"That's what the Heavenly Thief said."

"it is good!"

Li Tianzun remained silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "As long as he can find the Thousand-Faced Buddha, I will give him the Hun Tian Yi. On the condition that you let me see him first."

The Heavenly Thief smiled wryly.

"Brother Li, you are truly judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person. Do you think I would covet your armillary sphere?"

The Thief Celestial said disdainfully, "Don't you want to know who this person is?"
He is both far away and right before my eyes.

The Celestial Thief raised his hand and pointed, slowly saying, "This person is the new Lord of Yang, Su Mu!"

The Heavenly Thief pointed his finger at Su Mu.

All eyes turned to Su Mu.

Su Mu was enjoying watching the spectacle, but he never expected that the juicy gossip would suddenly fall on him.

He pointed to himself with a helpless expression and said, "Me? Thief Celestial Venerable, are you kidding me? I've never even heard of the Thousand-Faced Buddha before. Where am I supposed to find him?"

Although he was very interested in the Celestial Instrument of the Azure Sky Sect, he really didn't know where the Thousand-Faced Buddha was.

Besides, he's trying to avoid what's going on today, so why would he willingly get involved in this mess?

"Hmph, so it really has something to do with you?"

Li Tianzun looked at Su Mu and snorted coldly.

"What do you mean by 'related to me'?"

Su Mu rolled his eyes. Nothing had even happened yet, and Li Tianzun was already thinking like that.

If he really finds the Thousand-Faced Buddha, Li Tianzun probably won't be grateful to him; instead, he'll think he's in cahoots with the Thousand-Faced Buddha.

"Lord Thief, I think you need to be clearer about this. Why me?"

Su Mu said seriously, "If this isn't explained clearly, I might end up jumping into a quagmire."

What do your affairs have to do with me?

"Are you sure you want me to say this in front of so many people?"

"That's what the Heavenly Thief said."

Su Mu's face darkened.

This guy is getting more and more exaggerated.

Doesn't what you're saying make it seem like I'm the one with the problem?

"Say it! We have to say it! We have to make it clear in front of everyone!"

Su Mu said in a deep voice, "I don't know any Thousand-Faced Buddha, let alone where to find him!"

"Lord Thief, stop playing coy and just say what you have to say."

Lei Tianzun also spoke up, "How do you know that Su Mu can find the Thousand-Faced Buddha?"

How could Su Mu possibly do something that even we can't do?
Before today, he didn't even know the Thousand-Faced Buddha existed.

Li Tianzun narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them.

He already hated Su Mu, and now he suspects that Su Mu is behind all of this. He wants to take action and take down Su Mu immediately.

The words of the Thief Celestial Venerable can indeed easily lead to misunderstandings.

"Ok."

The Celestial Thief sighed and said slowly, "It won't be good for you if others find out about this."

Su Mu couldn't help but roll his eyes; the Heavenly Thief was really making things worse by trying to explain himself.

"There's nothing you can't tell others, so speak!"

Su Mu said firmly, "I do not like Li Tianzun, but I have no need to use such means to frame him."

"You Heavenly Thief, if you don't explain yourself clearly, don't blame Su Mu for disrespecting you."

Su Mu had already figured it out: if he let the Heavenly Thief continue to dawdle like this, he would truly be unable to clear his name no matter what.

He is not afraid of Li Tianzun, nor is he afraid of the Cangqiong Sect, but he will never make enemies for no reason.

He didn't get any benefits and was made to take the blame. How could he possibly accept that?

“I’ve made myself very clear. I asked Li Tianzun to give you the Hun Tian Yi. Since you’ve received the benefits from the Cang Qiong Sect, you naturally have to help the Cang Qiong Sect find the mastermind behind their framing, namely the Thousand-Faced Buddha.”

The Celestial Thief said seriously, "Is this so hard to understand?"
Or do you think the armillary sphere isn't enough, and want more benefits?

"That's not the point!"

Su Mu didn't know whether Dao Tianzun was doing it on purpose or not, but he was no longer willing to be led by the nose by Dao Tianzun.

"I have only one question: why do you say I can find the Thousand-Faced Buddha? Who told you that I can find the Thousand-Faced Buddha?"

Su Mu asked in a deep voice, "Stop beating around the bush and stop wasting time. Tell me, how do you know I can find the Thousand-Faced Buddha?"

"Can't you?"

The Heavenly Thief asked in return with an innocent look on his face.

"Thunder God! Cat Nine!"

Su Mu shouted.

His aura exploded.

With one step forward, the ground rumbled loudly.

Su Mu unleashed his full power without restraint, and the Heavenly Net Umbrella opened behind him, causing hundreds of strange beasts to roar in unison.

Lei Tianzun and Mao Jiu each took a step forward, forming a horn-like formation that surrounded Dao Tianzun.

"Lord Thief, I'll ask you one last time: who told you I could find the Thousand-Faced Buddha?"

Su Mu stared at Dao Tianzun and said coldly, "If you don't explain yourself clearly, then I have reason to suspect that you are deliberately provoking conflict between me and the Cangqiong Sect."

"Lord Thief, put away your unreasonable and argumentative nature and just tell us the answer."

Lei Tianzun said, "Don't treat us like fools, and don't force us to take action."

I'll count to three.

Su Mu said coldly, his tone filled with killing intent. (End of Chapter)