I just became the Pirate King, and you're telling me I also time-traveled at the same time.

"No respect for elders."

By the campfire, the stones had already sharpened their claws.

It put the pebbles aside, stood up, and stretched its limbs.

Its movements are much smoother than before. When it stretches, the bones of its whole body make a soft "crackling" sound, like the sound of bamboo sprouting.

It glanced back at Chu Yang and Sun Wukong, then clasped its hands together, bowed to each of them, and turned to walk back into the cave, preparing to go to sleep.

Chu Yang watched as Shi Tou's figure disappeared into the shadows of the peach grove.

The moonlight spilled onto the flat ground, illuminating the concentric circles where the monkeys slept—the little monkeys huddled together in the middle, while the older monkeys lined up on the periphery, each sleeping soundly, their snores rising and falling. Occasionally, one of them would kick its leg in its sleep, accidentally bumping into the monkey next to it, but that monkey would simply roll over and continue sleeping without even opening its eyes.

"Take it down tomorrow," Chu Yang said.

The Tiangang Sect is located in the Iron Sword Mountain Range at the northernmost tip of the Eastern Victory Divine Continent, covering an area of ​​eight hundred li.

The Eight Hundred Li Iron Sword Mountain Range is covered in snow all year round. The mountain body is composed of a black rock called Xuan Tie Mine. This rock naturally absorbs light. When sunlight shines on it, it is not reflected but swallowed up. From a distance, the entire mountain range looks like a black wound cracked in the earth.

The main hall of the Tiangang Sect is built on the top of the highest peak, Iron Sword Peak. The hall is named "Zhenyue" and is made entirely of black iron, without using a single piece of wood.

The four walls of the hall are inlaid with seventy-four luminous pearls, arranged according to the position of the Big Dipper. The pearls shine with a cold, white light, like frost, and the light reflected off the black iron wall is also cold.

On the ground in the center of the hall is a huge circular array, nine zhang and nine chi in diameter. The array patterns are cast with molten mithril, and it remains as bright as new even after ten thousand years.

A bronze pillar stands at the center of the circular formation.

The bronze pillar is three zhang tall, and its body is engraved with the patterns of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Every hour, the patterns on the pillar will automatically rotate one position, making a crisp "click" sound, like a giant bell that never stops.

This bronze pillar is the most treasured artifact of the Tiangang Sect, named the "Tianji Pillar". It can sense the fluctuations of the aura of cultivators all over the world - especially those auras that have been marked by the Tiangang Sect.

It is now the third quarter of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).

There was no one on duty inside the Zhenyue Hall—the Tianji Pillar had been operating on its own for ten thousand years without ever making a mistake, so it did not need anyone to watch over it.

The palace doors were tightly shut, and the cold light of the luminous pearl quietly illuminated the bronze pillar. The patterns on the bronze pillar had just turned past the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and everything seemed normal.

Then the bronze pillar suddenly lit up.

It wasn't the normal flash of light from the rotating patterns, but a blinding red light shot straight up from the bottom of the bronze pillar, spreading upwards along the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches patterns on the pillar, like flames burning up a withered vine.

Within three breaths, the red light covered the entire bronze pillar, and the pillar began to tremble violently, emitting a low and rapid hum. The sound was not loud, but it had a strong penetrating power, passing through the black iron walls of Zhenyue Hall and spreading throughout the entire Iron Sword Peak.

The first to arrive were the outer disciples who were on duty tonight in the side hall halfway up the mountain.

He heard the buzzing sound while meditating. When he opened his eyes, he saw the warning array patterns on the side hall wall flashing on and off at a frequency he had never seen before.

He paused for a moment before realizing that the frequency represented a warning from the Heavenly Pillar—the highest level of warning.

He had only heard his master mention it once when he first entered the sect, saying that the flashes of that frequency represented the reappearance of the aura of a traitor who had been pursued by the Tiangang Sect for over ten thousand years. But such a thing had never happened, so much so that he didn't take it seriously during his training.

His legs were a little weak when he stood up, but he still scrambled out of the side hall, running up the mountain while taking out the communication talisman from his waist, pouring his demonic power into it, and shouting at the talisman.

"Heavenly Pillar of Heavenly Secrets! It's lit up!"

This shout, carried by demonic power, spread throughout the entire 800-mile radius of the Tiangang Sect within three breaths via the array of communication talismans.

Those who were in seclusion, refining elixirs, sleeping, or practicing swordsmanship under the waterfall in the back mountain all heard it.

The voice of the communication talisman appears directly in the sea of ​​consciousness; it cannot be ignored, nor can one pretend not to hear it.

Within five breaths, hundreds of points of light lit up Iron Sword Peak—the escape lights of the elders and disciples of each peak flying on their swords.

Points of light converged on Zhenyue Hall from all directions, some fast and some slow. The fast ones had already landed on the square in front of the hall, while the slow ones were still halfway up the mountain.

At the seventh breath, the two black iron gates of Zhenyue Hall were pushed open from the inside.

The one who opened the door was the current sect leader of the Tiangang Sect, whose Daoist name was Xuanchengzi.

He looked to be in his early fifties, but a cultivator's appearance is not always reliable—some say he is three thousand years old, some say he is five thousand years old, but he never mentions it himself.

He wore a wide-sleeved black Taoist robe, his hair was tied up on top of his head with an iron hairpin, his face was thin, and the angles of his bones could be faintly seen under his skin.

His eyes were not large, but his pupils were extremely dark and deep, like two deep wells when he looked at people.

At this moment, he stood at the entrance of the hall, one hand still on the door knocker, his gaze passing over the growing number of disciples and elders gathered in the square in front of the hall, looking at the humming Heavenly Mystery Pillar.

The red light on the Heavenly Mystery Pillar was no longer spreading, but shining steadily, illuminating the entire Zhenyue Hall in a bright red glow.

The frequency of the pillar's tremors increased, and the buzzing sound turned into a sharp metallic whistling sound. Some disciples with lower cultivation levels in the square in front of the hall covered their ears, their expressions pained.

Xuan Chengzi opened the palace door and strode into the palace. The wind stirred up the dust on the ground, which swirled in the cold light of the luminous pearl and the red light of the bronze pillar.

He walked to the Heavenly Mystery Pillar, put his index and middle fingers together, and quickly tapped the surface of the bronze pillar three times.

With each finger strike, the tremor of the bronze pillar lessened. After three fingers, the howling stopped, and the red light dimmed, but it did not completely disappear. Instead, it turned into a low, continuous red glow, like a piece of red-hot iron placed in the dark, still hot, but with the light subdued.

"That's it." Xuan Chengzi said without turning his head.

The disciples in the square in front of the hall exchanged glances, but no one moved.

A bold inner disciple took half a step forward, about to ask something, when a white-haired elder beside him pressed down on his shoulder.

The elder shook his head at him, then walked into the hall himself.

This elder is a transmission elder of the Tiangang Sect, with the Daoist name Moyunzi.

He was half a generation older than the sect leader in the Tiangang Sect. He was the junior brother of the previous sect leader and had lived for over eight thousand years. His hair and beard were all white, but his back was straight and his gait was no different from that of a young man.

He walked to the Heavenly Mystery Pillar and looked down at the faintly glowing patterns on its surface.

"How long does the red light last on the Heavenly Mystery Pillar last?" he asked.

Xuan Chengzi did not answer immediately.

He withdrew his fingers from the bronze pillar, revealing three extremely fine burn marks on his fingertips, caused by the backlash of spiritual energy when he touched the pillar earlier.

He looked at the burn marks on his fingertips, as if trying to confirm something.

"Twelve thousand years," he said, "when Yin Wuyai betrayed the Tiangang Sect."

Mo Yunzi's white eyebrows twitched.

He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, "Are you sure?"

Xuan Chengzi raised his right hand, showing Mo Yunzi the burn marks on his fingertips.

The three burn marks were healing at an abnormal speed—normally, the backlash burns from the Heavenly Mystery Pillar would take at least three days to subside, but the burn marks on Xuan Chengzi's fingertips were fading at a visible speed. Within three breaths, only three faint white marks remained, and after another three breaths, even the white marks disappeared.

"The Heavenly Pillar doesn't burn people," Xuan Chengzi said. "It only burns people in one situation—when the aura it has marked resonates with it."

The owner of that aura is still alive, or," he paused, "or his golden core is still circulating."

Mo Yunzi walked to the front of the Heavenly Mystery Pillar and placed a withered hand on the pillar.

He closed his eyes, and his demonic power seeped into the bronze pillar through his palms to read the specific information perceived by the Heavenly Mystery Pillar.

This process lasted for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. The disciples outside the hall were so quiet that they dared not even breathe. The only sound in the square was the howling of the cold wind blowing across the eaves of the black iron roof.

Mo Yunzi opened his eyes and removed his hand from the bronze pillar.

His expression was complex—a mixture of disbelief, a deep-seated anger, and a barely perceptible unease.

"Southeast," he said, "is extremely far away, outside the precise range of the Iron Sword Mountains."

However, the location can be determined—the southeast corner of Dongsheng Shenzhou, near the coast of the East China Sea, which may be an archipelago or a coastal mountain range.

We need to send someone there to pinpoint the exact location.

"The characteristics of aura," Genseiko said.

He wasn't asking; he was confirming.

Mo Yunzi took a deep breath.

"Elixir Qi".

The Heavenly Mystery Pillar would not mistake Yin Wuyai's Golden Core characteristics.

But—" He hesitated for a moment, "the intensity of the elixir energy is not right."

It's much weaker than it was ten thousand years ago, as if it's being suppressed by something, or perhaps...

"Or it's about to wither away," Xuan Chengzi finished the sentence for him.

Both of them fell silent.

The walls of the Xuan Tie Palace absorbed their voices, making the silence even more profound.

The name Yin Wuyai is a taboo in the Tiangang Sect.

New disciples may not know this name. Disciples who have been disciples for less than a hundred years may have glimpsed it in some extremely secret texts, but they will never see it again, because all detailed records about Yin Wuyai are sealed in the forbidden library on the third underground floor of Zhenyue Hall, and no one may read them without the sect leader's order.

But the elders all knew.

The elders not only knew about it, but also participated in the pursuit of Yin Wuyai three times, eight thousand years ago, five thousand years ago, and three thousand years ago—all three times they returned empty-handed. The Heavenly Mystery Pillar never lit up during these ten thousand years, and Yin Wuyai seemed to have completely disappeared from the world.

The Heavenly Pillar is now lit.

Xuan Chengzi turned around and walked to the entrance of the hall, waving to the disciples in the square in front of the hall.

"Disciples of each peak, return to your respective caves. What happened tonight must not be told to outsiders."

Those who disobey will be expelled from the sect. His voice was not loud, but every word seemed to be nailed to the air, clearly reaching the ears of every disciple.

The disciples bowed respectfully and then dispersed on their swords.

The beam of light rose from the plaza in front of the palace, scattering in all directions and leaving fleeting trails of light in the night sky.

Xuan Chengzi watched the last streak of light disappear behind the mountain ridge before turning back into the hall.

There were only three people left in the hall now—himself, Mo Yunzi, and the Discipline Elder, Master Chifeng, who had entered at some unknown time.

True Man Chifeng is the youngest of the three powerful elders of the Tiangang Sect. His lifespan is only three thousand years, but his cultivation has already reached the realm of a great demon. He is considered a top expert in the Tiangang Sect and even in the entire demon cultivation world of the Eastern Divine Continent.

He was burly, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and short, bright red hair that stood on end. The angular features of his face looked as if they had been cleaved with an axe.

He walked in without making a sound, and the Xuan Tie Palace door closed silently behind him.

"I heard it," said Master Chifeng.

His voice was completely at odds with his appearance—deep, flat, and almost devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"Then I won't have to repeat myself." Xuan Chengzi walked to the Heavenly Mystery Pillar, put his hands behind his back, and looked up at the red light moving across the pillar. "Yin Wuyai's Golden Core has appeared in the southeastern coastal area."

The pill's energy is very weak, indicating that the pill is almost depleted, or that the person holding the pill is not skilled enough to fully unleash its power.

Either way, it's good news for us.

"But there's also bad news," Mo Yunzi continued. "The fact that the elixir could still function for ten thousand years after leaving Yin Wuyai's body indicates that Yin Wuyai used some kind of secret method to seal the elixir before his death."

"A secret technique that can be sealed for ten thousand years—" He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already very clear.

Even if someone who can set up such a secret technique dies, their backup plan should not be underestimated.

"Yin Wuyai is dead," Xuan Chengzi said. "The Heavenly Mystery Pillar only detected the elixir energy, but there were no fluctuations of the soul of any living person."

If he had a backup plan, he wouldn't have waited until the pills were almost depleted before launching it.

He must have passed away somewhere, sealing his elixir there before his death. Now the seal has loosened, and the elixir's energy is leaking out, which has been detected by the Heavenly Mystery Pillar.

Master Chifeng walked to the Heavenly Mystery Pillar, extended a finger, and gently tapped the bronze pillar.

The bronze pillar emitted a soft "hum," and the red light on its body rippled with that sound, like a pebble breaking the surface of water.

"I'll go," he said.

"You alone are not enough." Xuan Chengzi turned around. "This matter cannot be publicized—the Tiangang Sect has been searching for a traitor for ten thousand years and suddenly has a clue. If the news gets out, other sects will pounce on us like sharks smelling blood."

Even if Yin Wuyai's pills were withered, they would still be priceless treasures to any sect. He paused, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Mo Yunzi and True Man Chifeng. "The two of them."

An elder and his disciple set off under the guise of a travelogue, and then secretly investigated the southeastern coast.

Too many people mean a bigger target; too few people mean we can't handle unexpected situations.

"Which disciple should I choose?" Mo Yunzi asked.

Xuan Chengzi did not hesitate.

"Jiang Yan".

Master Chifeng's eyebrows twitched.

Jiang Yan is his personal disciple. He has only been a disciple for a hundred years, but his cultivation has already reached the early stage of the Great Demon realm. He firmly holds the top position among the younger generation of disciples.

However, this disciple is aloof and keeps to himself. He doesn't concern himself with sect affairs except for cultivation. Sending him to do this kind of field mission that requires flexibility and adaptability may not be the best choice.