The First Marquis of Daxuan

"Although I don't quite understand what you're saying, I really don't know."

The Thief Celestial said in a deep voice, "I really don't know why the Thousand-Faced Buddha wanted to kill Zhu Celestial Venerable and Martial Ancestor."

"Su Mu, whether you believe it or not, we have nothing to do with the Thousand-Faced Buddha. I have already told you everything before. We are also looking for the Thousand-Faced Buddha."

As for the method of refining this Heart-Reflecting Mirror, we obtained it from elsewhere.

"He Tianzun spoke up."

In front of Lei Tianzun and the others, He Tianzun couldn't say some things directly.

After all, the fact that the Thousand-Faced Buddha is suspected to be the legendary Great Celestial Venerable cannot be known to too many people.

"Where did you obtain the method for crafting the Heart-Reflecting Mirror? You'd better explain that clearly."

Su Mu said calmly.

He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat unnatural.

At this point, even the slow-witted Lei Tianzun and the others could see the problem.

"He Tianzun, Dao Tianzun, what exactly do you know? Now is not the time to hide anything. The other side has already begun to make moves against the Tianzun. This time it was Zhu Tianzun who died, but who knows who will be next?"

Lei Tianzun said in a deep voice, "If you are still hiding anything, then you are acting as accomplices to the murderer!"
"You might even be in cahoots with the murderer?"

"Lord Lei, you can't just say things like that!"

Dao Tianzun quickly said, "We have no connection with the Thousand-Faced Buddha, and we have been looking for him all along."

"How do you explain the method of refining the Heart-Reflecting Mirror?"

Lei Tianzun said coldly.

Ancient Celestial Venerable, Zeng Celestial Venerable, and the others moved their feet in perfect unison, and in an instant, they had completed the encirclement.

Both He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun wore wry smiles.

The other party has now surrounded the two of them. If they don't give an explanation today, this matter will probably not end well.

"Su Mu, this—"

He Tianzun said with a wry smile, "I thought we had reached a point where we could trust each other."

"I really want to believe you."

Su Mu said slowly, "It's just that things are too coincidental."

A weapon of the caliber of the Heart-Reflecting Mirror is not something that can be easily forged; its crafting methods are not readily available.

"If the Seventy-Two Thieves could obtain the Heavenly Mandate Divine Weapon Manual, why can't we have a similar extraordinary encounter?"

The Heavenly Thief couldn't help but say, "Who hasn't had a few fortuitous encounters to become a Heavenly Venerable?"

The method for crafting this Heart-Reflecting Mirror was something I obtained by chance!

"Time and place!"

Lei Tianzun and the others were not fooled at all.

Everyone has extraordinary encounters, but even if it is an extraordinary encounter, the Celestial Venerables must find out where it happened.

Now that Zhu Tianzun has been suddenly killed, no one knows who the perpetrator's next target will be.

If Zhu Tianzun is going to die, what about Lei Tianzun? Gu Tianzun? Zeng Tianzun?
All the celestial beings are no longer safe.

It's no longer just about avenging Zhu Tianzun; now all Tianzuns are potentially threatened.

A lurking murderer has made all the Celestial Venerables feel insecure.

Even if Su Mu doesn't press the matter, the Heavenly Venerables like Lei Tianzun will still want to get to the bottom of things.

Neither Thief Celestial nor Congratulatory Celestial had expected things to develop to this extent.

They no longer blame Su Mu and Lei Tianzun; if they were in their shoes, they would also want to figure out the problem.

“I can take you to the place where we obtained the method for refining the Heart-Reflecting Mirror, but I must warn you beforehand that the place is now a ruin, and there is nothing of value left.”

He Tianzun said in a deep voice, "Moreover, we obtained the method for refining the Heart-Reflecting Mirror hundreds of years ago."

"Without further ado, let's leave now!"

Lei Tianzun said without hesitation.

With so many Celestial Venerables gathered together, they can even venture into the Void Realm; there is no place in the world they cannot go.

After saying this, Lei Tianzun remembered Su Mu.

They haven't even consulted Su Mu yet.

"Su Mu, what do you think?"

Lei Tianzun asked.

It was only then that everyone realized that Su Mu was the one who discovered the clues about the murderer, and Su Mu was also the one who pointed out the problem with the Mind Mirror.

They were the ones who had been interrogating He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun, but they forgot to ask Su Mu for his opinion.

"It wouldn't hurt to go and take a look."

Su Mu said slowly, "However, I do believe that Venerable He and Venerable Dao were not lying."

What I don't understand is, what exactly did Zhu Tianzun discover that led to his being killed?

As Su Mu spoke, he glanced at He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun with a meaningful look in his eyes.

"If my guess is true, the person who killed Zhu Tianzun and Wu Zu was the Thousand-Faced Buddha. Then why did the Thousand-Faced Buddha kill them?"

It's highly likely that the two of them discovered some secret.

Su Mu added slowly.

"Zhu Tianzun and Wu Zu..."

The Ancient Celestial Venerable pondered for a moment and said, "These two people are completely unrelated; they have no connection whatsoever."

"This is also the direction we need to investigate."

Su Mu said, "All we can confirm now is that they both died by the same means."

To find out the truth, I think we need to investigate what happened before Zhu Tianzun died.

"Alright, let's split into two groups. One group will investigate where Zhu Tianzun went before his death, and the other group will follow He Tianzun and Dao Tianzun to investigate the place where they discovered the method for refining the Heart-Revealing Mirror, to see if we can find any clues about the Thousand-Faced Buddha."

"I'll go investigate Zhu Tianzun's movements before his death."

Qi Lingyun said, "Zeng Tianzun and Zhao Tianzun, you two come with me."

"no problem."

Zeng Tianzun and the other two said.

"Then I will go with Gu Tianzun and the others to investigate the weapon-forging formula."

Lei Tianzun asked, "Su Mu, which side are you on?"

"I'm not going to side with either side."

Su Mu said, "I will stay at Yanmen Pass to forge weapons."

I'm going to forge the Heart-Reflecting Mirror. If you can't find any clues, the Heart-Reflecting Mirror might just be one.

He Tianzun, Dao Tianzun, and the others all adopted a solemn expression.

"If the murderer is truly the Thousand-Faced Buddha, your current attempt to refine the Heart-Revealing Mirror is extremely dangerous."

He Tianzun said in a deep voice, "I think it would be best to wait until we return to protect you..."

"Need not."

Su Mu shook his head. "I'm not powerless. Besides, I have Mao Jiu and the others."

Before He Tianzun could say anything more, Su Mu said without room for doubt, "It's settled then."

As the saying goes, one wave subsides only for another to rise. The Void Realm has just ceased hostilities, and now someone is unwilling to see our Yang Realm at peace. We must investigate this matter thoroughly before the Void Realm makes a comeback.

Otherwise, if all these crises erupt at once, we will definitely be overwhelmed.

"Honorable Celestials, time is of the essence, I beg you."

…………

The celestial beings left Yanmen Pass.

Cat Nine perched on Su Mu's shoulder, while Ning Hongchen stood beside Su Mu.

Zhu Tianzun's body had already been buried by Su Mu himself.

"We're just going to let them leave like that?"

It was only at this moment that Mao Jiu spoke up, "If the murderer who killed Zhu Tianzun comes, I might not be able to stop him."

"I also think what you're doing is a bit risky."

Ning Hongchen said solemnly, "If the other party can kill Zhu Tianzun, and if he really has his eye on you, then you are now in extreme danger."

At the very least, you should keep Lei Tianzun and Qi Lingyun by your side.

"If someone who can easily kill Zhu Tianzun really wants to kill me, do you think Lei Tianzun and Qi Lingyun can protect me?"
"If a powerful figure capable of killing a Celestial Venerable were to lower himself and launch a sneak attack, who could possibly escape?"

Su Mu said calmly.

Mao Jiu and Ning Hongchen were speechless.

Su Mu was speaking the truth. If such a powerful person were to launch a sneak attack, Su Mu would be doomed no matter how much he tried to defend himself.

"Don't worry, if the murderer really is the Thousand-Faced Buddha, he will not only not kill me, but will protect me instead."

Su Mu smiled faintly and said, "If I die, who will he find to refine the Heart-Revealing Mirror?"

"Didn't you say that the hidden weapon used by the murderer and the Heart-Revealing Mirror are from the same lineage? Since the murderer can make that kind of hidden weapon, how do you know he can't make the Heart-Revealing Mirror?"

Ning Hongchen asked in a deep voice.

He was meticulous and had long ago discovered the loopholes in Su Mu's words.

It's just that he didn't have the right to speak in front of the Heavenly Venerables before.

Moreover, he couldn't possibly undermine Su Mu in front of all the Celestial Venerables.

"Good question."

Su Mu smiled faintly and said, "These two needles, one was found by Tian Cangchen on the Martial Ancestor's body, and the other was found by me inside Zhu Tianzun's corpse. Take a look and see what the difference is between them?"

Su Mu raised his hand, revealing two needles in his palm.

Mao Jiu and Ning Hongchen both looked down and stared at the two needles for a long time, but they still couldn't see any difference.

"Aren't they exactly the same? To be honest, this is the first time I've ever seen a powerful person who uses needles as weapons. This guy is too shameless. A powerful person like him actually uses needles to launch sneak attacks. It's outrageous that someone like this can become a Celestial Venerable."

"Cat Nine complained."

Ning Hongchen gave Mao Jiu a strange look. "You're the one talking about others, aren't you, Mao Jiu, also a Heavenly Venerable?"

Are you really that much better than them? You've done plenty of petty theft too, haven't you?

What does one's character have to do with whether or not one can become a Celestial Venerable?
If one cannot become a Celestial Venerable due to poor character, then most of the current Celestial Venerables in the Yang Realm should have lost their positions.

"We really can't tell the difference between them."

Ning Hongchen said seriously, "Does this have anything to do with my question just now?"

"These two needles look identical on the surface, but in reality, they are worlds apart."

Su Mu smiled faintly and said, "To be precise, one is a finished product, and the other can at most be called a semi-finished product, or a defective product."

He picked up one of them and said, "This needle that killed Zhu Tianzun is a true divine weapon, powerful enough to kill Tianzun."

But the needle that Tian Cangchen obtained from the Martial Ancestor is so powerful that it would be difficult to kill even a Heavenly Venerable, let alone a powerful expert at the Heavenly Fate Realm.

"what does that mean?"

Mao Jiu asked with a puzzled look.

"You mean to say that the needle in Martial Ancestor's hand is a fake, and the murderer has been trying to make a fake, but due to his limited ability, the fake he made was only a defective product?" Ning Hongchen said slowly with a thoughtful look on his face. "Because he didn't have the ability to make a fake needle, which also means that he didn't have the ability to refine the Heart-Reflecting Mirror."
So you're so sure he needs you to get the Mirror of the Heart?

"You can say that."

Su Mu nodded and said.

"So, your weapon-making skills must be superior to that murderer's. Can you replicate this needle?"
Since this needle has the power to kill a Celestial Venerable, if you could replicate it—”

Ning Hongchen's eyes lit up, and he said.

A weapon capable of killing a Celestial Venerable—just thinking about it is exciting!

With these needles in hand, which celestial being would dare to challenge them?
Doesn't Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, possess the Wutian Staff?
They also have this needle!

“If we’re only talking about the art of weapon forging, I can indeed imitate it.”

Su Mu said calmly, "But in reality, it's impossible."

"why?"

Ning Hongchen and Mao Jiu spoke at the same time.

This is a weapon capable of killing a Celestial Venerable.

"First of all, although this is just a tiny needle, it requires countless rare and precious materials to make. To put it bluntly, even if the Great Xuan Dynasty were to use all its resources, it might not be able to afford such a tiny needle."

Su Mu said, "Secondly, refining this thing is against the natural order."

"Is this against the natural order?"

Ning Hongchen and Mao Jiu were both puzzled.

They understood Su Mu; Su Mu was never a soft-hearted person, and he would never hesitate to kill when necessary.

For Su Mu to utter such offensive words now shows just how much of a price must be paid to refine this needle.

"This needle is completely useless after one use. It's not worth all the effort to only produce one disposable divine weapon."

Su Mu said calmly, "I think the murderer probably only had this one."

There's no need to worry about him using that weapon to ambush us again.

"If he doesn't have this kind of needle, then he might have other kinds."

Ning Hongchen said, "If someone has even this kind of weapon, how could they not have other weapons in their hands?"

The thought of such a mysterious and powerful figure lurking in the shadows, committing atrocities, is terrifying.

Su Mu gave Ning Hongchen a strange look.

Hiding in the shadows and committing all sorts of misdeeds—doesn't that sound familiar?
All those years ago, weren't the things you did exactly the same as those of this mysterious killer?

Back then, every single thing you did in the Outer Realms was done in a sneaky and underhanded manner.
You still have the nerve to criticize others?

However, to be fair, all of you are plotting and scheming for your own purposes. Everyone has their own little schemes, so let's not say that anyone is noble or shameless.

Ning Hongchen clearly realized the problem as well, and coughed awkwardly to change the subject, saying, "If the other party is hoping that you can help them refine the Heart-Reflecting Mirror, wouldn't that be even more troublesome?"

That means he might be secretly watching us right now.

Once you've crafted the Heart-Reflecting Mirror, he'll definitely try to snatch it immediately.

If this "heart-revealing mirror" is really that important, he might just kill someone to silence them.

After all, if I kill you, no one in the world will be able to forge the Heart-Revealing Mirror, and the Heart-Revealing Mirror he stole will become unique.

"It seems you know these tricks very well."

Su Mu said with a half-smile.

"Aren't these all very simple tricks?"

Ning Hongchen said helplessly.

"You are very familiar with the tricks of these conspiracies, but you don't understand me."

Su Mu smiled faintly and said, "The weapons I, Su Mu, forge, I will not give away, and no one can take them away."

Even Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, and those Void Beast Celestial Venerables, would have to obediently trade with me if they wanted the Five Elements Mountain in my possession.

Whether he is a thousand-faced deity or anyone else, if he wants to see his own heart, he has to come and talk to me honestly.

If you want to steal it—"

Su Mu chuckled coldly twice.

Even if the Great Celestial Venerable came, he wouldn't be able to snatch the weapon from Su Mu without any effort.

No one in the world can do that!
Ning Hongchen and Mao Jiu exchanged a glance, both seeing the complexity in each other's eyes.

It seems they were indeed overthinking things.

Since Su Mu debuted, no one has been able to take advantage of him.

Over the years, has Su Mu ever suffered a loss?
Even when he was very weak, he never suffered a loss when facing behemoths like the Azure Sky Sect and the Martial Sect.

When he took over as the Lord of Yang, wasn't he also beset by internal and external troubles?

The results of it?
Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, suffered a great loss at his hands, not only losing tens of thousands of miles of territory but also having to pay countless compensations.

Although they don't know who killed Zhu Tianzun, if this murderer wants to bully Su Mu, they will probably be disappointed in the end.

"In that case, we won't say any more."

Ning Hongchen pondered for a moment and asked, "What do you need us to do?"

"You will protect me."

Su Mu said calmly, "Although I am not afraid of this thousand-faced god, I still have to put on an act."

Otherwise, it would seem like we don't take them seriously, right?

Ning Hongchen and Mao Jiu both had black lines on their faces. You just didn't take the Thousand-Faced Buddha seriously, did you?
"Now that you mention it, it suddenly dawned on me. If he really is a thousand-faced deity, then everyone around us could be him."

Ning Hongchen said in a deep voice, "The Thousand-Faced Buddha can transform into tens of millions of forms, and no one has ever seen his true appearance."

"So from now on, don't trust anyone. Before I emerge from seclusion, no one is allowed to disturb me."

Su Mu said slowly.

…………

Inside Yanmen Pass.

A middle-aged man was sitting at a tea stall.

The tea stall faces a low-key mansion.

That mansion was the residence of the general garrisoning Yanmen Pass.

Now that Lord Yang Su Mu has arrived at Yanmen Pass, he will stay here.

The man looked at the mansion with a half-smile on his face.

"This Lord Yang is indeed quite capable."

The man was talking to himself, and only he could hear his own voice.

"They were able to discern my technique."

However, you're a little too curious.

Curiosity can kill.

After the man finished speaking, his figure swayed slightly and he disappeared into thin air.

…………

Ruins.

The wind blows.

Then a burst of laughter rang out.

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, shot directly into the air.

It spread its arms, and bursts of violent energy exploded from its body, turning into a raging storm.

"I, Zhu Tongtian, have returned!"

Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, laughed heartily.

It pressed its hands down, and an immense force landed on the ground.

The ground churned violently like waves, then was smoothed out by Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, with a single palm strike.

This force caused the expressions of the Void Beast Heavenly Venerables, including Wu Ma Heavenly Venerable and Shen Hou Heavenly Venerable, who had been watching from the sidelines, to change slightly.

This power is in no way inferior to that of the Celestial Venerable.

In other words, Zhu Tongtian, the ruler of the Void Beasts, is not yet a Celestial Venerable, but he already possesses the power of a Celestial Venerable.

They would never have believed it was true if they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes.

"Something's not right. Even before, Zhu Tongtian didn't seem to have this kind of strength, did he?"

"Chou Niu Tianzun whispered."

"It didn't have the Five Elements Mountain before. It seems that the Five Elements Mountain is really important to it. With the Five Elements Mountain, it has become so powerful."

Wu Ma Tianzun said in a deep voice.

"That's even more strange. As we all know, the Five Elements Mountain is the weapon of the Great Celestial Venerable of the Yang Realm. Why would Zhu Tongtian's strength increase so much after obtaining it?"
What exactly is the relationship between Zhu Tongtian and the Great Celestial Venerable of the Yang Realm?

The Ox Celestial Venerable said.

All the Heavenly Venerables of the Ruins Beasts frowned slightly.

Zhu Tongtian is said to be the reincarnation of the ancestor of the ruins.

The Ancestor of the Void and the Great Celestial Venerable of the Yang Realm were indeed beings of the same era, and they should have been rivals to each other.

What other relationship could there be?
However, even the oldest of these Void Beast Celestial Venerables had never personally experienced that era, and they knew nothing about the struggle between the Void Ancestor and the Great Celestial Venerable of the Yang Realm.

Now that the Ox Celestial Venerable has broken through this barrier, a sense of doubt immediately arose in the hearts of all the Void Beast Celestial Venerables.

The Five Elements Mountain is the weapon of the Great Celestial Venerable of the Yang Realm. Zhu Tongtian obtained the Five Elements Mountain and was able to greatly increase his strength. It's hard not to make some bad associations.

"Do you think this Zhu Tongtian might be a spy sent from the Yang Realm to our Ruins Realm?"

"Chou Niu Tianzun continued."

The face of the Celestial Venerable of the Ruins Beasts darkened.

"How is that possible? Have you ever seen an undercover agent become a local leader?"

Wu Ma Tianzun said irritably, "We have personally witnessed how many humans Zhu Tongtian has slaughtered, and he is a genuine Void Beast, how could he be a human spy?"

"Even Void Beasts might pledge allegiance to humans, and haven't some humans also pledged allegiance to our Void Realm?"

"Ugly Ox Celestial Venerable muttered softly."

All the Void Beast Celestial Venerables rolled their eyes.

It is indeed possible that the Void Beasts have defected to the Yang Realm, but Zhu Tongtian could never be an undercover agent.

Zhu Tongtian is more ruthless than these Void Beast Celestial Venerables when it comes to killing humans; this is something no undercover agent could do.

"I think you're overthinking it. The Five Elements Mountain is a supreme treasure; anyone who obtains it will greatly increase their strength."

One of the Void Beast Celestial Venerables said, "Zhu Tongtian has been the Lord of the Void Beasts for so many years, and his contributions to our Void Realm are obvious to all."

You're being too sensitive; there won't be any problem.

Now that its power has greatly increased, it is time for it to lead the Void Realm to unify the Saha World. We cannot doubt it at this moment.

"That's right. Now we should work together to unify this Saha world. At that time, the Saha world will only have Void Beasts and no humans."

Shenhou Tianzun waved his fist and said, "We should think carefully about how to deal with those despicable humans in the Yang Realm, especially that Su Mu!"
We can't really give the mortal realm three years like he said. (End of Chapter)