"Could it be that these three tribulation-crossing experts were all killed by Lin Chang’sheng? Is the Heaven-Reaching Immortal Treasure in his hands really that powerful?"

"I doubt it. Even if he has a Heaven-Reaching Immortal Treasure, with his cultivation, it would be impossible for him to slay tribulation-crossing experts. For sure, he had some powerhouse helping him!"

"That makes sense. So who really killed these three tribulation-crossing experts? You think the Immortal Martial Hall, the Celestial Nether Sword Sect, and Spirit Mountain would really spare Lin Chang’sheng? Why has there been no movement from them for so long?"

"That goes without saying; there’s no way they’ll let Lin Chang’sheng off! But as for what they’re plotting, who knows!"

"I heard Lin Chang’sheng has already joined the Divine Pill Pavilion. Do the three great sects intend to go to war with the Divine Pill Pavilion?"

"How could Lin Chang’sheng join the Divine Pill Pavilion? Does that mean he can practice alchemy too?"

...

The cultivators resting nearby were buzzing non-stop, each one utterly stunned. These bits of news hit them like a thunderbolt out of nowhere.

Each new rumor was like another strike, leaving them all gaping in disbelief.

Lin Chang’sheng was just a young man—who would have thought he could stir up such a huge storm in the Immortal Realm?

Hearing the chatter around him, a faint smile curled up on Lin Chang’sheng’s lips.

The three great immortal sects were dead set on destroying him, but taking his life wasn’t going to be that easy.

Let alone now, when he was only at the late stage of Integration; once he broke through to Mahayana, it would only get harder for them.

After a brief rest, Lin Chang’sheng continued on his journey.

Futian Province, Immortal Martial Hall.

Right now, the atmosphere inside the great hall had sunk to the lowest point.

Sitting high on the throne, the man wearing a crown and golden armor had flames of rage burning in his eyes.

He’d sent He Jie to deal with matters, but never imagined that not only did He Jie fail to bring Lin Chang’sheng back, he ended up dying in the Immortal Sea Province.

This was an utter humiliation for their Immortal Martial Hall.

"Yunchu, did you see who killed Elder He?"

The middle-aged man’s gaze was as vast as the sky itself. Just looking at Guo Yunchu made him too afraid to lie even half a word.

"Father, I didn’t actually see Elder He Jie killed by Lin Chang’sheng with my own eyes. By the time I got there, Elder He Jie had already fallen. I believe with Lin Chang’sheng’s cultivation, there’s no way he could have killed Elder He Jie. He definitely had a powerful backer!"

Guo Yunchu stated his thoughts plainly.

Lin Chang’sheng was just a late stage Integration cultivator—even if he used a body strengthening technique at best that put him at early Mahayana, how could he possibly be a match for a tribulation-crossing expert?

"A powerful backer?"

The middle-aged man’s brow furrowed. "Looks like I underestimated him. Go fetch the Yun He brothers!"

He still didn’t believe he couldn’t get to the bottom of Lin Chang’sheng’s origins.

This kid seemed anything but simple!

"Yes, Father!"

Guo Yunchu answered quickly and hurried off.

The Yun He brothers were essentially the Immortal Martial Hall’s dark web—a network that could investigate anything they wanted to know.

For a mere Integration Stage cultivator, getting to the truth shouldn’t be hard at all for them.

In just a short while, two men—one in gray, one in white—arrived in the great hall.

The man in gray was named Zhang Yunhe. He had a broad, powerful build.

The man in white was named Zhang Yunsha. He was slender and gaunt.

Their dark web organization had a network that stretched through all quarters of the Immortal Realm. Any information they wanted, they could dig up in under a month.

"Hall Master!"

The Yunhe brothers greeted respectfully.

They knew the Hall Master had summoned them for a mission.

"Go and look into Lin Chang’sheng’s background. Where did he come from? Which master’s sect is he from? Who does he know? What cultivation technique does he practice? Find it all out for me—leave nothing unturned!"

The middle-aged man said slowly.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Yunhe replied without hesitation, and the two quickly departed.

"Hall Master, Lin Chang’sheng is just an Integration Stage cultivator; let me go kill him, what’s the point of all this fuss?"

In the hall, a burly elder spoke up, obviously confused.

The man had a giant dragon-patterned staff strapped to his back—had to weigh tens of thousands of pounds—and his muscles were like iron bands.

The primordial power within him was as vast as a sea—he was also an early tribulation-crossing powerhouse.

It just showed how many experts the Immortal Martial Hall had gathered.

"He’s not as simple as any other Integration Stage cultivator. Even Elder He never returned. Can you say with certainty that you could kill him?"

The middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed, as if he could see through everything.

He would wait for an answer—maybe one that matched his own suspicions.

If so, then they really couldn’t act rashly against Lin Chang’sheng.

"Who would believe an Integration cultivator could slay a tribulation-crossing expert? Sounds like rumor-mongering to me. Elder He Jie was almost certainly not killed by Lin Chang’sheng! Most likely the Immortal Palace or some other expert was working behind the scenes!"

The burly man scoffed dismissively.

If Integration cultivators could slay tribulation-crossing ones, then ants could stomp elephants to death.

"Exactly—that’s what worries me. Until we know the truth, no one’s to act rashly! If I learn anyone made a move against the Immortal Palace or Lin Chang’sheng, there will be severe punishment!"

Whoosh—

As his words fell, the middle-aged man slammed down his Holy Staff, unleashing a tremendous wave of energy.

"Yes, sir!"

All the gathered Elders nodded hurriedly.

...

Spirit Mountain.

Li Shihong flew into a rage the moment he heard that Spirit Mountain Daoist had died.

This meant Spirit Mountain had lost not only a Mahayana Elder, but now even a tribulation-crossing powerhouse had fallen as well.

This was undoubtedly a massive blow to Spirit Mountain.

"Sect Leader, there’s no way the Daoist was killed by Lin Chang’sheng. After he got chased by Elder He Jie from the Immortal Martial Hall, we also went after them, leaving just the Daoist and Elder Zhou Chang behind. By the time we returned, both Elders had vanished without a trace—I suspect it was the Immortal Palace that played a hand in this!"