When the master and disciple finished their talk and were returning, Elder Kaiyang had already cleaned up Ling Wujue's bones, covering them with cloth and storing them in a storage magic tool.

Thus, the Dinghu Sect lost a True Inheritor.

On the surface, Elder Kaiyang had regained his composure, but his tense face still betrayed his inner turmoil.

"Elder Tianxuan, please assist me in finding the murderer," Elder Kaiyang said earnestly, looking at Tianxuan.

This, of course, meant that he wanted Tianxuan to help with divination to deduce the killer.

"I have already divined the matter," Tianxuan said, "The murderer did not leave any trace. Even causality and the Heavenly Mechanism were concealed. He has hidden himself very well, and even I cannot predict the outcome."

"Devil God Sect?" Elder Kaiyang murmured softly.

Whenever divination failed, one would think of the Devil God Sect. Due to the manipulations of a Supreme being within their sect, members of the Devil God Sect naturally carried with them a concealment of their Heavenly Mechanism. To divine their actions or whereabouts, one must surpass this Supreme being first.

"This troublemaker!" Elder Kaiyang couldn't help but curse this Supreme being.

Elder Kaiyang actually suspected the Devil God Sect.

After all, who else could easily accomplish such a feat? The Devil God Sect is often blamed not without reason. Any event that could not be divined could be attributed to the Devil God Sect, and they seemed willing to accept such blame.

However, behind this matter, there might be other Mystical reasons. Even if the perpetrator was someone from the Devil God Sect, it doesn't mean there weren't others instigating it behind the scenes. The key was the motive.

'And this motive will soon become apparent,' Jiang Li thought somberly.

Regarding the death of Ling Wujue, there was actually a clue, which was how Ling Wujue knew about Jiang Li's situation and made targeted moves.

'Yun Jiuye should now start questioning the source of this information. He will certainly want to investigate it. But, with his cunning, he would probably find a way to let Elder Kaiyang do the investigating.'

Jiang Li saw the situation clearly and could already predict the next developments.

He just needed to wait silently, until Elder Kaiyang traced the investigation back to Heluo God. Then, using the situation to his advantage, he could eliminate Heluo God as a target.

At that moment, two powerful Qi mechanisms flew from the sky. Simultaneously, two Divine Lights descended, carrying a solemn and sacred aura, signifying the presence of those of the Divine Path, both of them fifth-rank.

Just as when fifth-rank individuals of the Immortal Fruit possess the Divine Skills of riding on clouds, those of the fifth-rank Divine Fruit typically possess the Divine Skill of Flying, which is quite distinct in their flight characteristics.

The two Divine Lights landed on the water surface, revealing two burly figures. Both had square faces and rugged complexions, dressed in brown armor and black boots. One held a Mixed Copper Demon Suppressing Mallet in his left hand, and the other held a Fine Iron Demon-Sweeping Mallet in his right hand. Positioned left and right, they mirrored each other quite symmetrically.

"Greetings, everyone. Ren Hai and Tang He, attendants of Shu Royal Mansion, at your service."

The two tower-like figures greeted simultaneously, speaking in unison: "We are commanded by King Shu to invite you all to the Prince Manor to discuss an urgent matter."

"It seems the Imperial Uncle can't wait any longer."

Upon seeing this, Tianxuan remarked indifferently and then said, "Lead the way."

The group took to the skies, following King Shu's attendants towards Jun City.

As a fourth-rank Prince responsible for safeguarding the waterways of Shu County, King Shu's status was exceedingly high among the princes; even the Liangzhou Governor dared not show anything but respect to him.

Yet, such a high-status King Shu resided on Mingde Street in Jun City, which was not particularly bustling. The Prince Manor, though grand, had all the attributes of a royal family house, but if one ignored those gliding roof corners and multiple arches characteristic of regal architecture, it looked not much different from the houses of the wealthy.

Ren Hai and Tang He led Tianxuan and Jiang Li along with their group into the Prince Manor, heading straight into the front hall. The vast hall was arranged with two rows of square chairs, with small square tables between them bearing tea.

However, everyone present was not in the mood for tea, each with a solemn expression.

At the head of the room were two Taishi Chairs side by side, one occupied by the imposing, authoritative-faced King Shu wearing a tall crown and broad belt; the other was empty.

To the left and right in the fore were seats taken by fourth-rank figures—Daoist Shen Hou from Yuxu Temple and Daoist Wenxu from Daode Sect were present and an elderly man in a blue robe, sitting in line with the fourth ranks, though he himself had not reached the fourth-rank Realm.

This must be the Liangzhou Governor.

Jiang Li also saw Zhang Daoyi and the Yuxu Temple Disciple who wanted to subdue demons; they were all sitting in the lower seats.

Apart from the Taiping Sect and Kunxu Immortal Palace, only the Dragon Slayer Daoist from Yuxu Temple was absent.

Ren and Tang led the way here and then voluntarily stood to the left and right of the hall entrance, like two door gods. The two elders walked to the front and sat on the vacant square chairs, while Elder Tianpeng shrank in size as he walked, and in a blink, he became as tall as an ordinary man, his once rugged face now carried an added touch of scholarly refinement.

Yun Jiuye also sat down on a square chair closer to the front.

He had reached the fifth rank and was a True Inheritor of the Sect Leader—status-wise, close to the various fourth-ranks—and the seat left vacant for him was placed in front of Zhang Daoyi and others.

Below Yun Jiuye, there was another chair left empty, presumably prepared for Jiang Li.

However, Tianxuan glanced at the setting and said, "Disciple, move to the front. You are the Master of Jiang Family, entitled to be among the Three Dukes and needs to fight later, so you should sit at the forefront."

Upon these words, all those present felt a fluctuation in their gaze.

Directly indicating that Jiang Li should fight was an acknowledgment that Jiang Li's strength was above Yun Jiuye.

Speaking of "the Master of Jiang Family" implied that King Shu and the Liangzhou Governor needed to endorse this and support Jiang Li in obtaining the treatment deserved by the Jiang Family Master, such as the position among the Three Dukes and the set of privileges that come with being a Powerful Minister.

This issue had already been raised earlier in the Divine Capital but was temporarily shelved by the royal clan and various court officials. Now that it was brought up again, Tianxuan clearly believed it was time to push Jiang Li forward.

Liangzhou Governor's expression grew serious, yet he remained silent. King Shu pondered for a while, looked at Jiang Li, and asked, "Does the Gongsun Family Master mean that Young Master Jiang has been promoted to fifth rank?"

Although there were speculations when Jiang Li crossed the tribulation, seeing it for oneself still left some room for doubt.

It was too fast.

Yun Jiuye became the first of his peers to advance because he had Heavenly Monarch Gongsun Qi as a mentor and had started cultivating from a young age, laying a foundation for ten years before entering Ninth Grade. What did Jiang Li have?

Though after taking Tianxuan as a master, his treatment was not inferior, before that, he was all by himself listening to lectures from Outer Elders and self-studied.

Such rapid progress was startling, making one wonder if Jiang Li was hastily advancing without solidifying foundations at each Realm.

"During the tribulation, I had some enlightenment that brought my Dao Fruit to Perfection, and afterward, I was fortunate to advance," said Jiang Li humbly.

His words stirred the minds of everyone present, even Yun Jiuye, who had been almost certain before, felt a surge of emotion.

He remembered the words of Heluo God, that if Jiang Li entered the fifth-rank, he would be unbeatable.

Upon hearing this, King Shu's eyes deepened with the color of thick earth, his pupils subtly turning vertical, his presence as majestic as a dragon. An invisible force instantly spread out, like an undercurrent rushing towards Jiang Li.

Jiang Li felt a heaviness on his shoulders, as if mountains were pressing down, profound and massive, but looking around, he noticed no change in the others, as if that force didn't exist at all.

'Just targeting me alone...'

Jiang Li, with his acute sensitivity, immediately relaxed his body, shrugging his shoulders.

King Shu felt his own momentum hitting an empty space and suddenly failing, only to be met by an unparalleled force colliding from the side, lifting the mountainous pressure.

Two streaks of yellow light flashed around Jiang Li, suddenly recoiling outward, subtly hinting at overwhelming strength.

"Indeed, a fifth rank," King Shu considered inwardly, dispersing the light as he praised, "And his foundation is so profound, it's unfathomable. Gongsun Family Master, if Jiang Li is to fight, this king is willing to petition the court to grant him the position among the Three Dukes."

Although only Tianhe Pass needed to remain unbroken to keep the Golden Dam intact, preserving the other two dams was still crucial.

Fish Mouths divided and Water Diversion discharged floods, these dams could significantly reduce the pressure on Tianhe Pass.

King Shu would not assume that Wuzhiqi would hold back under the circumstances where only Tianhe Pass remained. Even if Wuzhiqi did, the Dragon Palace and Taiping Sect would not. Hence, upon seeing Jiang Li's foundation and his willingness to fight, King Shu immediately extended his promise, endorsing Jiang Li.

However, the Liangzhou Governor, seeing this, spoke against it: "Even if his foundation is solid, he has only just entered the fifth rank. My Lord, I think it's prudent to deploy a cultivator at Perfect Fifth Rank."

"I also think it's inappropriate," Daoist Wenxu spoke next, "While the young man is exceptionally talented, when it comes to cultivation and combat experience, he might not compare to those who entered the fifth rank earlier. If we are to send someone to fight, we must be cautious. I believe it would be best to let those willing to fight demonstrate their skills and select the strongest for battle."

The Daoist, with a slight smile, scanned the people present, pausing especially on Jiang Li and the younger generation, "What do you all think?"

"I agree," the Liangzhou Governor was the first to concur.

King Shu also displayed a contemplative look, then nodded, "This indeed is an option."

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