The opening scene reveals the story of Yao Lao, alarming the Soul Emperor.

The air inside the main hall dropped to freezing point.

No one could believe their ears.

A person at the Dou Zhe realm actually dared to mock a Dou Zong in front of him.

The deacons kneeling on the ground didn't even dare to breathe.

They were afraid that the wrath of the Protector Wu would affect them.

The protector stood up straight, his entire body enveloped in surging black mist.

The killing intent locked onto Hunyu.

"What did you say?"

"You really think that just because you're from the Soul Clan's main branch, this Protector won't dare to touch you?"

A massive black chain emerged from the black mist, hovering above Hunyu's head.

With just a thought from the Protector Wu, the chains could smash the chair to pieces.

Hun Yu didn't even raise his head.

He leisurely placed the feather fan on the table.

"You can try it yourself."

"Kill me, and you will face the interrogation of the Nine Heavens Venerable tomorrow."

"If you don't hand over any clues about Yao Chen, you'll still die."

The protector of the duck stopped moving.

The chain remained suspended in mid-air without falling.

Hunyu was right.

He dares not bear the guilt of wantonly killing his own clansmen.

Especially when one's own performance is poor.

Seeing that he didn't make a move, Hunyu slowly stood up.

He walked to the center of the main hall.

"You've been searching for three years using large nets to catch fish."

"We've searched the entire Central Plains and also checked the Northwest Continent."

"But we couldn't even find a trace of him."

Why?

The old man frowned and asked, "Why?"

Hun Yu countered, "How did Yao Chen die?"

The old man replied, "He was assassinated by his traitor Han Feng, who colluded with our Soul Palace."

Hunyu nodded.

"Yes, he was betrayed by his most trusted apprentice."

Only a wisp of a soul escaped.

"Have you ever considered whether an old monster who has experienced such betrayal would still seek refuge with his former friends?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.

Protector Wu was stunned.

The old man's eyes slowly widened.

Hunyu paced among them, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"He doesn't even trust the apprentice he raised from scratch."

"How could I dare expose my weakened, remnant soul to my former friends?"

"The cultivation world prioritizes self-interest."

"Who can guarantee that those old friends won't sell out his whereabouts to curry favor with the Soul Hall?"

Protector Wu opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

His search has always revolved around Yao Chen's network of relationships during his lifetime.

Go and investigate the old connections of those from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion and the Starfall Pavilion.

Completely wrong.

Hun Yu waved his white feather fan and continued to unravel the mystery.

"Since he doesn't dare to seek refuge with the strong."

"Then he can only find a remote area without strong people."

"Where is the most remote place in the entire Dou Qi Continent?"

The old man blurted out, "The Northwest Continent!"

Hunyu pointed at the old man with his feather fan.

"That's right, it's the spot we're standing on right now."

"But this place is huge. In which country, in which corner, could he be hiding?"

Protector Wu pressed on, "Where is he?"

Hunyu walked back to the chair and sat down.

"Yao Chen is an alchemist, and his soul needs to absorb special energy to prevent it from dissipating."

What is the best source of energy?

Protector Wu replied, "Fire-attribute battle qi, or directly devour the soul of a magical beast."

Hunyu tapped on the table.

"He is extremely weak now; if he encounters a high-level magical beast, he'll just be a sitting duck."

"He needs to parasitize a human body."

"This human must possess fire attribute talent and have an extraordinary soul perception."

"Most importantly, this person's cultivation level must be very low."

"So low that it's completely undetectable that a soul is hidden within."

Protector Wu's eyes lit up.

He looked at Hunyu as if he had grasped at a straw.

"You mean, he's looking for a highly talented but weak young man to be his host?"

Hunyu picked up the cold tea on the table and took a sip.

"That's not all."

"Yao Chen possessed the Bone Spirit Cold Flame during his lifetime."

"He needs to constantly rely on the power of the strange fire to nourish his soul."

"But using strange fire in crowded places is extremely easy to be detected by the Soul Palace's spies."

"Therefore, the place where his host is located must be an extremely hot or sparsely populated small town."

Hunyu slammed the teacup down on the table.

The bottom of the cup struck the table with a soft sound.

"Go to the border cities of the Chagama Empire, especially Utan."

"Check if there are any genius teenagers from any family there whose cultivation has suddenly regressed and they've become ordinary people."

"That's Yao Chen absorbing his battle qi to recover his strength!"

Every word and sentence is clearly organized.

Not a single wasted word; it hits the nail on the head.

The main hall was extremely quiet.

All five deacons gaped in astonishment.

The old man even took two steps back.

Protector Wu's hands trembled uncontrollably inside his wide black robe.

This reasoning is very complete.

It perfectly reflects the psychology of a top-tier expert who has been betrayed.

The matter they had been searching for for three years without any results was solved by this sent-out son in just a few words.

Protector Wu withdrew all the black mist from his body.

A hint of awe crept into his gaze as he looked at Hunyu.

"Mr. Soul Feather".

Protector Wu swallowed hard.

"This is just speculation. What if the Gama Empire doesn't have such a person?"

Hunyu glanced at him.

"I've laid out the route in front of you."

"Send a few people to Wutan City to investigate; it will take at most a few days."

"If not, what's the loss?"

Protector Wu nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, I'll send someone to investigate right now!"

He pointed to the deacons kneeling on the ground.

"You lot, get out of here and go to Wutan City in the Gama Empire!"

"Get me a thorough investigation into the backgrounds of all the young people in the Xiao, Jia Lie, and Obama families!"

"The focus should be on checking if anyone's cultivation level has regressed!"

Several deacons scrambled out of the main hall.

After making these arrangements, Protector Wu turned around.

He walked all the way to Hunyu.

He personally picked up the teapot on the table and poured a fresh cup of tea for Hunyu.

"Mr. Hunyu, I was blind to your greatness just now."

"Your wisdom is a blessing to my branch temple."

Even the way he was addressed changed from "Young Master" to "Sir".

Hunyu did not take the cup of tea.

He looked into the hawk's eyes.

"Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst."

"Even if we find out where Yao Chen is now, it will take time to capture him."

"The Nine Heavenly Venerables will be coming to inspect next month."

The eagle's heart, which had just settled down, was now on edge again.

"What brilliant plan do you have, sir?"

Hunyu picked up a feather fan to cover the lower half of his face and coughed twice.

"Tell me, besides our Soul Hall, which other force is operating in the shadows in this Northwest Continent?"

The old man replied, "People from the Starfall Pavilion."

"The power established by that old man Yao Chen before his death."

"In recent years, that old fellow Venerable Feng has also sent quite a few people to the Northwest Continent to look for Yao Chen's whereabouts."

"Just a few days ago, we also discovered traces of Starfall Pavilion spies on the outskirts of the Tianxing Mountains."

Hunyu clapped his hands.

"This is your chance to make a difference."

"If you can't catch Yao Chen, then catch the people from the Starfall Pavilion first to complete your mission."

"Removing the Starfall Pavilion's spies in the Northwest Continent would also be a great achievement."

The hawk looked troubled.

"Sir, you are unaware of this."

"The Tianxing Mountain Range has an extremely complex terrain, filled with miasma and poisonous formations."

"Those people from the Starfall Pavilion are extremely fast because they have the advantage of using wind-attribute techniques."

"When our people go in to make arrests, they are often led by the nose."

Hunyu stood up.

He walked to the entrance of the main hall and looked out at the sky.

"Who gave you permission to send people in to arrest them?"

"I want them to come to me."

He turned to look at the hawk.

"Tomorrow, gather all the warriors above the Dou Wang level in the branch hall."

"Come with me to the Tianxing Mountains."