This could very well be a case of the same person causing both triumph and downfall. Qing Yanzi had absolutely no idea what he had just interrupted. His eyes had a trace of amusement, but he did not tease his two disciples. Instead, he wore a serious expression and got straight to business. —Did you two see the news about that plane crash in Saros yesterday? Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan sat side by side on the bed. Mu Wanxuan instinctively switched into obedient mode, while Wang Sheng took charge of answering their master's questions. "Yes, Master. We also received a mission alert from the Ascending Immortal Hall." Qing Yanzi frowned slightly. —Someone issued a mission to you two? That was an oversight on my part. I should have reminded them not to disturb you for now. "What happened?" Thɪs chapter is updated by noᴠelfire.net —Nothing, just an incident. You two don't have to get involved. Our cultivation world is now dramatically stronger than before. If necessary, I and several Heavenly Abode Realm seniors will rush over immediately. Anyway, do you remember the four-nation exchange meeting you joined long ago, Little Sheng? The one where Gelan sent Shelley, the female knight; and Dale, the priestess? "Vaguely." Wang Sheng did recall those two foreigners, though he didn't really have a particularly deep impression of them. Qing Yanzi looked somewhat speechless. —To keep their identities hidden, they chose to travel in disguise and take a detour through Saros. It was completely unnecessary. They would've been better off contacting us and assigning them protection. Thinking back to the girl whose beauty practically came with its own soft lighting effect, he fell silent. No matter how they tried to disguise themselves, someone like that would still turn heads on the street, especially in a place where her looks matched local beauty standards. —We hadn't paid close attention to them at first. It was only after they set out that their families got in touch with us. Qing Yanzi frowned and shook his head. —Regardless, we have to fight terrorism. We have to find our two international allies and three national treasures. Thankfully, the Empire of Saros has maintained good relations with us in recent years, and the first wave of our rescue teams has already been dispatched. —Shelley and Dale are reasonably strong. They likely managed to escape into the mountainous snowfields with the three treasures. Still, I can't shake the feeling that something about this isn't right. That's why I wanted to discuss it with you two. This whole incident feels like someone deliberately set a trap to lure our experts over. Wang Sheng thought for a moment. "Why do we trust those two foreign cultivators so much, Master?" —That's a long story. Simply put, Gelan's cultivation world is now our ally. We don't suspect their families or Gelan's cultivation community. What we do suspect is that the enemy has persuaded someone within their families to betray us. Some external force used those three treasures to construct a trap and invited us to fall into it. Qing Yanzi fell deeply in thought again, then lowered his voice. —If someone really did set a trap for us, who could it be... "If we know it's a trap, why don't we just avoid it?" —That's not for me to decide. Besides, the authorities already anticipated this possibility. That's why they sent out a strong rescue team. Some of its members are hidden experts. If things start looking suspicious, they'll retreat immediately. Otherwise, they'll focus on searching for the two foreigners and retrieving the treasures. The treasures are important, but cultivators' lives are just as important. No one will be sacrificed in vain. Finally, Wang Sheng asked the question he had been most curious about. "What exactly are the three treasures? The authorities seem very nervous about losing them." —Over a hundred thirty years ago, the allied forces of nine nations, including the Empire of Gelan, launched an invasion. At that time, our feeble and sickly feudal dynasty was utterly helpless. Wang Sheng had naturally studied history. Still, when his master launched into lecture mode, it was his duty as a disciple to listen quietly. —Those three treasures were among the many items that the Nine-Nation Alliance had looted over a century ago. They had been housed in a museum in Gelan. Later, Dale's family managed to acquire them through various means and planned to return them to the Hua Republic, hoping to strengthen the two nations' relationship. —The three treasures consisted of a sarira, an ancient Daoist scripture, and a painting scroll. The sarira was a Buddhist sect relic, but the most valuable item was the Daoist scripture. It's said to contain Daoist scripts similar to the markings found on the six celestial tablets, attracting significant attention from the Cultivation Research Institute. —The celestial tablets are the institute's lifeblood right now. It is believed that they contain records of certain immortal arts or extremely important information. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been found with Yaoyun on the far side of the moon. The Hua Republic is determined to get that ancient scripture since it could greatly help in unraveling the tablets' secrets. Celestial Tablets? Daoist scripture? Wang Sheng gave his master a strange look. "Master, I think the Cultivation Research Institute should stop wasting energy on something so futile. They'd be better off researching practical projects, like developing new methods for crafting cold weapons." Qing Yanzi's tone grew sterner. —How could you call it meaningless? This is about exploring the unknown. Without exploration and dedication, where would the Universal Cultivation Method and all these achievements come from? Mu Wanxuan nodded seriously beside him, clearly in full agreement with her master's words. "Mm, mm!" Wang Sheng hesitated, then recalled that Yaoyun had never told him not to speak about the six celestial tablets. After his master's lecture, Wang Sheng cleared his throat. "Master, I think I have a rough idea of the secret behind the six celestial tablets." Daring not to keep it to himself, he immediately explained everything he knew about the tablets. He then concluded, "Master, talent and comprehension are not enough to fully understand their content. Only those as powerful and wise as Emperor Ziwei can understand them." Qing Yanzi fell silent, then shook his head and sighed. —In that case, we might as well bury the thing. When Haotian was reduced to ashes in one explosion, a battle erupted and eventually destroyed the Heavenly Court. The Four Heavenly Ministers led the immortals in a desperate fight, but with the gods themselves showing signs of the Five Heavenly Declines, their resistance only made their downfall all the more certain. In the end, although the Heavenly Court was defeated, Ziwei still led a large number of immortals through enemy lines and into the Realm of Exiled Immortals, where he personally carved out the Small Nether Realm. Even a being of such magnitude only managed to comprehend a celestial tablet or two. By the same logic, the Daoist script on the ancient scripture was likely beyond the understanding of modern cultivators. They didn't have to rush to recover it. If the scripture was destroyed in the crash, then that would be the end of it. If it was taken and was still somewhere on Earth, then they could just take their time retrieving it. The information that Wang Sheng had provided seemed unrelated to the terrorist attack. In truth, however, it gave the Hua Republic far greater initiative in how to proceed. —This changes things. The importance of the Saros crash can be downgraded by two levels on our end. We can now observe more before acting. Qing Yanzi snapped his fingers. —I'll go pass this message along. Little Sheng, record a video summarizing what you just said and send it over. —Hopefully we can stop them in time... As his master muttered to himself, the 3D projection in front of them turned into points of light and returned to the "mooncake" in Wang Sheng's hand. The projection certainly had a sleek and stylish 3D animation. The martial sibling exchanged a glance and smiled, but the previous mood had completely vanished. From the living room, XI Lian called, "You two, stop cuddling and get over here. Breakfast is ready! We're going to the amusement park later!" Under several teasing looks, the pair emerged from the bedroom without the slightest embarrassment. On the drive to the amusement park, Wang Sheng recorded a detailed explanation of the six celestial tablets' origins. He then sent it to his master. In the video, he mentioned that they were engraved with the Great Origin Daos that the Three Pure Ones had bestowed on the Heavenly Court. However, they were also the root cause of Haotian's inflated ambitions. After the immortals of the Heavenly Court left the Realm of Exiled Immortals, the tablets and Yaoyun's corpse were sent back to this world. Yaoyun was sent back in hopes of being reincarnated, while the immortals essentially abandoned the celestial tablets. Wang Sheng pondered further, bringing him more ideas and questions. Eventually, the joyful chatter and laughter beside him pulled him back to reality. Well, I don't have to dwell on this right now. I should just focus on being here for my family. At the amusement park, Xi Lian and Wang Xiaomiao's personalities drastically changed in unison. They dragged Mu Wanxuan to every single ride. Wang Sheng's parents went off to enjoy their own time together and told him to keep an eye on the three girls. Hence, Wang Sheng was promoted to a human pack mule and a walking payment terminal. Holding a pile of plush toys and souvenirs, he swiped the card that his mistress had given him and got a taste of what it felt like to be a "husband." By noon, Wang Xiaomiao cheerfully offered to treat the three to lunch using her New Year's money. With a wave of her little hand, Xi Lian pointed straight at the amusement park's "silver arches" fast food joint. Half the park watched the four grandly march over. As the three girls happily ate, Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan's phones vibrated simultaneously. Their master had sent a voice message to their group chat. —Are you there? Head over right now. It's time for combat. Though Qing Yanzi had spoken in a calm tone, the anger in his voice made Wang Sheng instantly snap to full attention.