A blind man cultivates immortality and witnesses the great secret of the holy maiden in her bridal c

At the entrance of Tianhai Gate, more than thirty people stood in a line, solemn and imposing. Behind them was the towering mountain gate that reached into the clouds, and in front of them was a sheer cliff with clouds rolling at their feet.

The woman at the front was tall and slender, her figure accentuated by a black outfit. Her face was covered by a thin veil, revealing only a pair of cold, clear eyes, like icy stars. She was none other than Zhang Churan in disguise!

Behind her followed personnel from the Six Doors and officials from the Wanxian Dynasty's office in Tianhai City—the Six Doors constables wore black uniforms with standard long swords at their waists, exuding a sharp aura; the office officials wore brocade robes with official badges hanging from their waists, their expressions dignified.

Both groups were directly affiliated with the Wanxian Dynasty's official agencies and were stationed in Tianhai City. Upon seeing the secret envoy token presented by Zhang Churan, they immediately confirmed her identity and offered to accompany her.

After all, the secret envoy was the Holy Emperor's most trusted subordinate, and the envoy's order was equivalent to the Holy Emperor's personal presence, so they naturally dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Like a royal envoy carrying an imperial sword, the crowd followed respectfully behind, their auras mingling to create an invisible pressure.

Matthew led several elders over quickly, their footsteps clattering on the bluestone steps. Upon seeing Zhang Churan and the official entourage behind her, most of his doubts vanished—with people from the Six Doors and the office as witnesses, the identity of this secret envoy should be genuine!

Zhang Churan stepped forward, cupped his hands slightly, and then waved his hand. A purple-gold token engraved with dragon and phoenix patterns flew straight towards Ma Xiucai. The token drew an arc in the air, and his voice was as cold as ice, like the chill of a mountain stream: "Sect Master Ma, I have long admired you. I am Churan, the secret envoy of the Emperor of Ten Thousand Immortals Paying Homage to the Holy Emperor. This is my identity token; you may verify it!"

"You're too kind, My Lord!" Matthew quickly took the token and carefully examined the patterns on it. The token was cool to the touch and emitted a faint royal aura. The dragon and phoenix patterns on it were lifelike and had a faint spiritual light flowing around them. It was definitely not a forgery!

Just as he was verifying the authenticity of the token, Zhang Churan's voice rang out again, carrying an undeniable air of authority, echoing through the mountains: "I have come here on the orders of the Holy Emperor to investigate the collusion between the Tianhai Sect and the Holy Fire Sect!"

"What?!" Matthew was so shocked that his face turned deathly pale, and his hand trembled so much that he almost dropped the token!

The wind blew across the cliff, lifting the hem of his robe and making him look even more disheveled. He hurriedly returned the token to Zhang Churan, cupped his hands, and said urgently, "Secret Envoy! What makes you say this? Our Tianhai Sect is utterly loyal and would never collude with the Holy Fire Sect! This is absolutely a rumor, a slander!"

"Sect Leader Ma, please calm down." Zhang Churan's voice was calm and emotionless, like a still lake. "The matter of colluding with the Holy Fire Sect is of great importance. This crime is enough to wipe out an entire sect. His Majesty the Holy Emperor will never wrong an innocent person."

She paused, then continued, "Regarding the rumors about you and the Holy Fire Cult, my people and I have been secretly investigating for over three months. The evidence we've gathered doesn't seem to be favorable to Sect Leader Ma—I now have ample reason to suspect that you have a secret connection with the Holy Fire Cult!"

"This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Matthew's face turned deathly pale, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and soaking his chest. He hurriedly protested, "My lord, please watch your words! I, Matthew, could never bear the guilt of wiping out an entire family!"

"Whether it's slander or not, you'll know after seeing this." Zhang Churan turned to look at the Six Doors constables behind him and said calmly, "Present the recording stone to Sect Leader Ma for a look."

"Yes!" A constable from the Six Doors immediately stepped forward and handed over a crystal clear photographic stone, its surface smooth and radiating a soft glow.

Matthew took the recording stone with trembling hands and infused it with a wisp of spiritual power—the next second, an image instantly appeared on the recording stone: a blazing holy fire altar, the flames were an eerie dark red, blood flowed along the altar's patterns, and the location of the altar was none other than the valley behind Tianhai Gate!

This is the scene of the Sacred Flame Altar that Chen Yang recorded before!

"puff!"

Matthew was horrified when he saw the scene. A chill ran from his feet to the top of his head, his face turned ashen, and cold sweat poured down his face, soaking his clothes! The elders behind him also craned their necks to look, their expressions instantly turning serious.

He hurriedly said, "My lord! There must be some misunderstanding! It's my fault for not disciplining my subordinates properly! I will go back immediately and thoroughly investigate this matter. Any disciple who dares to collude with the Holy Fire Sect will be executed without mercy!"

"Sect Leader Ma, there's no need to rush to defend yourself." Zhang Churan sighed, his tone softening slightly. "I've come here not to punish you, but simply to invite you to come with me to the Holy Emperor's Palace so we can explain things to His Majesty in person."

She looked at Matthew and said slowly, "We all want to believe that Sect Leader Ma is innocent, but you need to say these words to His Majesty the Holy Emperor in person. His Majesty the Holy Emperor can find out whether you have been tainted by the Holy Fire Sect's aura with a single investigation—if you have, there is no use in you explaining; if you haven't, you don't need to say anything more, His Majesty the Holy Emperor will naturally clear your name."

Upon hearing this, Matthew breathed a sigh of relief—as long as he could see the Holy Emperor, his innocence would surely clear things up! He quickly cupped his hands in greeting, his voice trembling with urgency, "The envoy is right! I will depart with you immediately; we must not let the Holy Emperor misunderstand!"

"That's excellent." Zhang Churan nodded slightly. "Then let's head to the Holy City together."

Before she finished speaking, she waved her hand, and a huge flying boat, ten meters long, appeared out of thin air in front of her. The flying boat was made entirely of an unknown black metal, covered with colorful runes, and a golden roc with outstretched wings was carved on the bow. It emitted a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation, and the surrounding air was slightly distorted by the vibration.

Zhang Churan was the first to jump onto the flying boat, and only then did Matthew turn around and instruct Ma Yong, "Elder Ma, during my absence, you are fully responsible for all affairs of the Tianhai Sect. Major decisions will be discussed upon my return!"

"Yes! Don't worry, Sect Master!" Ma Yong quickly bowed and replied, looking at the flying boat with eyes full of awe.

This flying boat bears the Holy Emperor's insignia, which is unique to secret envoys.

Matthew didn't linger any longer and jumped onto the airship as well.

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Churan's flying boat instantly transformed into a streak of light, breaking through the clouds and heading straight for the Holy City. Its speed was astonishing, tearing the clouds along the way into two white waves of air!

As for the staff of the Six Doors and the office, they all bowed and then returned to Tianhai City—their mission was only to escort the secret envoy to deliver the imperial decree, and they did not need to accompany him to the Holy City.

On the flying boat, a fierce wind howled, making people's robes flutter. Below were rolling mountains and rushing rivers, like a miniature painting.

Matthew breathed a slight sigh of relief, secretly relieved: thankfully, he only had to explain things clearly; if the envoy had taken direct action, he would have been in real trouble!

But the next second, a surge of overwhelming anger welled up in his heart!

He knew perfectly well that the sacred fire altar was most likely the work of that bastard Ma Wei! He had turned a blind eye to it before because Ma Wei was Ma Jinshuo's son, and hadn't dared to ask too many questions.

But now that Ma Wei is dead, he has left behind such a huge bombshell, dragging him into it as well!

"That good-for-nothing! He's more trouble than he's worth!" Matthew gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. "No wonder his strength has increased so quickly lately; it turns out he's been sacrificing himself at the Holy Fire Cult's altar! Judging from the scene on the recording stone, that altar is of a high level. I wonder how far he's secretly colluding with the Holy Fire Cult!"

The more Matthew thought about it, the more frustrated he became. He felt a tightness in his chest and couldn't help but roar at the clouds below, his voice echoing in the sky.

His mind was completely focused on getting to the Holy City as soon as possible and explaining the situation. He didn't notice that the flying boat's route had quietly deviated from the direction of the Holy City and was heading towards the border between Dongyuan Kingdom and Baisong Kingdom—a desolate Gobi Desert with endless sand dunes, a menacing aura, and few people, making it the perfect place for an ambush!