Chapter 291: Discovering Clues.

Mingnan Laozu was also puzzled and murmured, "So what exactly is the situation?"
He looked at the others, only to find all of them staring at him with big eyes.
No one spoke.
But it seems like he said everything.
...we don't know, that's why we came to ask you...
"..." Mingnan Patriarch also fell silent.
After a moment, he spoke again and asked, "Did you make any other discoveries?"
Everyone listened to this statement and fell into deep thought.
At that moment, his gaze fell on one person.
"Du Cheng, do you have anything to say?"
Hearing his name being called by the ancestor, Du Cheng was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered.
"Master, with your reminder, I do have some thoughts, but I don't know if they are right or not."
Mingnan Master said, "Just say it."
Du Cheng cleared his throat and said, "Unlike other fellow cultivators, in addition to the strength levels and species of the great demons, I also pay close attention to the gender of the great demons encountered each time."
He said this and attracted some inexplicable looks.
Du Cheng cleared his throat again and said, "If my judgment is correct, those sudden missing big demons should all be female."
As soon as he said this, some people's faces showed a pensive, even shocked expression.
Just as Mingnan Patriarch was about to ask him how he came to such a conclusion, another cultivator spoke up:
"Old ancestor, what Du Cheng said is probably true. After careful consideration, I realized that among the great demons we have encountered recently, the numbers and quality of the mother monsters are relatively smaller than before."
"... " There is no need for Mingnan Old Ancestor to say anything if he hasn't already.
Is there some hidden entity secretly hunting third-order great demons, specifically targeting the females?
This situation is even more mysterious!
After a long time, he looked at everyone and asked softly, "Why are you telling me all these?"
No one answered him. All he saw were pairs of big and bright eyes, staring at him motionlessly.
Mingnan Laozu actually roughly understands their intention in reporting this matter to him.
Firstly, the matter is too significant and bizarre, and it is unacceptable not to inform the strongest person stationed in the Wumong Sea.
Of course, the most important thing is to investigate and find out the cause by ourselves.
Otherwise, when we go on the Wu Mong Sea mission in the future, we will probably lack confidence.
But Master Mingnan himself doesn't seem to have any intention of getting involved in this matter at all.
Originally, he was already dissatisfied with how others forcefully interrupted his enlightenment. After understanding the mysterious nature of this matter, he became even more unwilling to get involved.
When it comes to it, both he and the Spirit Control Army are currently only "staying temporarily".
Even though this matter contains hidden dangers that can blow up the Qingxuan Domain, it is the Qingxuan Sect that should be worried, why is he in such a hurry?
Moreover, is it something that can be easily found out just by searching?
Between the U Monghai and Fangyuan, there is an area of over 30,000 li covered by vast waters. In the absence of more precise information, such investigation would be futile.
The biggest purpose, perhaps, is to give them a peace of mind.
What he wasted was his own time and energy, and he had to bear great risks!
Mingnan Patriarch's mind quickly turned over, and soon figured out all the tricks inside.
He coughed lightly and looked at the leading Taoist from Qingxuan Sect who had just referred to him as "Master Uncle", saying:
"This is a major issue, and I must first ensure the stability of Spirit Island... In this way, please relay this news to your ancestor and see what they have to say."
"……" The Qingxuan Sect cultivator looked at Mingnan Patriarch innocently, feeling speechless in his heart.
A large portion of the Qi refining and foundation establishment cultivators who came out of the Yuling Sect with Mingnan Patriarch were settled on this Hidden Spirit Island.
This is the most vulnerable part of the Spirit-Control Army.
Ming Nan Ancestor needs to first ensure the stability and safety of the Hidden Spirit Island, which is flawless.
If they make any more untimely requests, it would truly be a rhythm of offending people to the extreme.
Really follow the advice of Old Master Mingnan and bring this matter to a few other elders to resolve?
That would be even more insane.
Just at that moment, a sudden inspiration flashed through Old Master Mingnan's mind, inexplicably linking to another matter.
He looked at the Qingxuan Sect cultivator, squinting his eyes, and slowly said, "This shouldn't be the first time!"
Not only the Qingxuan Sect cultivator looked puzzled, but other cultivators also had a look of confusion on their faces.
"Not the first time?"
"Has this situation happened before?"
The crowd's mind followed Mingnan Ancestor's words and couldn't believe it.
Mingnan Ancestor looked at Du Cheng and asked:
"Du Cheng, do you know how our forces were allocated in the three locations of Wumong Sea, Tianqi Mountain, and Heizeyuan?"
Du Cheng nodded and said,
"I know, at that time Qingxuan Sect provided us with some information, and we allocated our forces based on it."
"What kind of information is that?"
"Um...it should be a summary of the various situations of the three major demonic veins collected by the Qingxuan Sect over the years through various missions, including their predicted assessment of the number and strength of the third-tier giant demons living in these three areas."
"Do you think the information in it is accurate?"
"...It's mostly accurate, right? The situation in Umonhai and Heizeyuan is similar to the information in the document."
"How could you forget Tianqi Mountain?"
"Yeah, Tianqi Mountain, Tianqi Mountain!"
At this moment, Du Cheng's face was full of shock, his heart filled with too many emotions, and he could only mutter in a low voice.
In fact, under the guidance of Senior Master Mingnan's leading questions, he already had a vague awareness of something when Du Cheng mentioned "that information," but he still cooperated with Senior Master Mingnan's inquiries and answered step by step towards deeper insights.
Just like placing an unremarkable fragment under a microscope that gradually magnifies, as more and more details emerge, there is no need for further explanation. The audience around is already aware of the specific problem.
Among them, the most shocking were several cultivators from the Qingxuan Sect who were present on the scene.
Their eyes bulged round, their mouths were wide open as if they could fit a duck egg inside, and they felt a sense of horror as if they had just seen something extremely obscene.
This feeling, probably realizing with the help of others that our own yard is actually located on a burial mound.
It was remarkable that they did not jump up in surprise on the spot.
Looking at them, Old Ancestor Mingnan said:
"At that time, no one really took this matter to heart because the outcome was positive.
Some people think this is a harmless little mistake, but more people don't think it is a mistake at all. Instead, they think it is your habitual conservatism at work.
Because the actual situations of Wumonghai and Heizesyuan are more optimistic than the information you have provided us, although this deviation is not as significant as that of Tianqishan.
This also shows that you are indeed consciously overestimating the threat of these three "fatal veins".
At this point, Mingnan Laozu paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on the person in the front. As the pressure on this individual grew stronger and he couldn't help but swallow, Mingnan Laozu slowly said:
"
Do you still think it's just a mistake?"
"Well..." The cultivators from Qingxuan Sect didn't know how to respond.
The changes in the Tianqi Mountain are very likely to have occurred before the outbreak of the beast tide, that is, before we came to the Qingxuan domain.
"One is a coincidence, but two is still a coincidence?"
"What is this..."
"So, we do have the intention but lack the ability to resolve this matter, so you have to solve it yourselves."
With a slight backward tilt of his body, Mingnan Old Ancestor completely relaxed.
Deep inside, there was a sense of relief and joy, like finally getting rid of a hot potato.
A group of Qingxuan Zen sect disciples were either wide-eyed, speechless, frowning, or worried...
Du Cheng saw their reactions and suddenly spoke beside them:
"Don't be like this. Don't you think this is a good thing?"
The cultivators of the Qingxuan Sect looked at him blankly.
Good thing? How come we didn't see what good things are hidden in here?
Du Chengdao:
"From the final results, both the changes in Tianqi Mountain and the changes in Wumeng Sea have significantly weakened the impact and intensity of this beast tide in reality."
"The one who benefits the most, isn't it the Qingxuan Sect?"
"That's right, it seems so."
"The crowd nodded lightly."
"However, there are still some who remain clear-headed and shook their heads, saying,'We cannot see it that way... We do not know the true motive of the other party, whether they are an individual or a force.'"
He paused and said bitterly, "We don't even know if it's the same person doing all these things!"
Du Cheng said, "Don't be suspicious. Maybe your five ancestors were worried that the beast tide would be too intense for you to handle, so they secretly lightened your burden."
"How is this possible!" the other party was speechless, "Are we still not clear whether they are inside the mountain gate?!"
Du Cheng's thinking diverged and continued to provide more possibilities:
"Is it possible that there are actually six Qingxuan elders?"
The Qingxuan sect cultivators didn't know what to say anymore and waved their hands helplessly, saying, "Alright, just shut up."
Knowing that I couldn't ask for the help of Senior Mingnan, they didn't linger and quickly bid their farewell.
Watching their swiftly fading figures, a thought stirred in Senior Mingnan's mind. However, he ultimately silently suppressed this thought and did not call them back or voice a reminder.
And the thought that rose in his mind was, since similar situations had occurred successively in Tianqi Mountain and Wumeng Sea, then... shouldn't Heizeyuan pay more attention to it?
However, he did not speak in the end.
Since he had already decided to throw away this hot potato, he should not pick it up halfway again.
However, a hidden worry arose in his heart, "Ah, it seems that the Qingxuan Domain is also not peaceful."
This kind of emotion comes and goes quickly, and soon Mingnan Laozu will bounce back again.
The more this kind of time, the more it proves that investing time and energy in what area is most valuable.
Therefore, he quickly cleared away those meaningless emotions in his heart and immersed himself once again in the understanding of the brand new path.
……
Meng Zhou once evaluated his own strength.
Regardless of magical power, physical fitness, or spiritual soul, there is still a long way to go before reaching the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Relatively speaking, the gap in spiritual soul is the smallest, followed by physical fitness, while the largest gap lies in magical power.
His spiritual progress is not superior to his magic and physical qualities. In fact, in the cycle he has constructed with "essence," "energy," and "spirit" as the core, the progress of the three is entirely the same.
However, because he has yet to create a suitable third-order soul forging technique, he relies on the Spring Water Scripture, a second-order Qi cultivation method, and the Xuan Gui Negative Stele True Skill, a first-order body refinement method, to gain extra power and physical strength. As a result, he actually has a slight advantage over his divine soul.
The reason why he came to the conclusion of "the smallest difference in soul, followed by physique, and the largest difference in mana" is that he compared it to other Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Whether it is Yin Youyi, Mu Hanyu, Ming Nan Laozu that he has come into contact with, or those old ancestors he hasn't come into contact with but has continuously collected and improved his knowledge of their images through the Mingxin Pavilion, they have always been revered and mysterious figures in the eyes of other cultivators, and they have become more and more vivid and clear in his mind.
In the eyes of other cultivators, the senior ancestors of each sect are generally powerful in all aspects, but in the eyes of Meng Zhou, their strengths and weaknesses are very evident.
Although they also practice body cultivation and soul cultivation in addition to Qi cultivation, their achievements in the latter two are basically incomparable to Qi cultivation.
So, Meng Zhou has the smallest gap with them in terms of their spiritual level, but the biggest gap in terms of their cultivation level and magical powers.
However, this is only the foundation.
Combined with various powerful and magical supernatural abilities, diverse talents, he already has the confidence to compete with them and prove himself.
After close contact with Yin Youyi, Mu Hanyu, Ming Nanlaozu, and others, he became completely confident about it.
Compared with them, his biggest weakness should be the severely inadequate "combat endurance".
Cannot withstand long wars.
However, this is not a big problem.
And compared to those old ancestors, his advantage is also huge.
This advantage is mainly reflected in "bullying the weak."
With various magical means at his disposal, he is truly unbeatable when facing opponents whose strength is inferior to his own.
In front of him, even if they excel in other aspects, as long as there is a weakness, he can immediately exploit it, leading to their certain demise.
Compared with him, other elders seem more "conventional".
This advantage was demonstrated to its fullest extent when Meng Zhou harvested these third-level monsters.
When he wanders around Blackzeal with silence yet extraordinary swiftness, reaping one powerful monster after another, he can't help but imagine how other elders would deal with the situation in his place.
The simulation results, however, were more and more spectacular.
As a merciless destroyer like myself, it's really hard to find a second one.
On this day, Meng Zhou quietly drained the last bit of life from a third-grade top-quality demon, and his heart suddenly started racing.
He quickly cleaned up the remains of the big monster and, always staying under the Five Elements Escape, quietly left the area.
"Not slow to react," he thought to himself.
Just after he left, a hurricane blew out of nowhere in this area, and when the wind stopped, two figures of a man and a woman appeared.