Patrol Captain

On the other side, in Qingshan County, the sun was setting in the west.

In the bamboo courtyard, dappled sunlight filtering through the bamboo grove constantly shifts and changes shape.

The fish in the pond took advantage of the shade to ripple the clear water and swam among the lotus leaves.

"Brother, come on!"

"Senior brother, we're almost done!"

"Senior brother, it's finally finished, yay!"

By the pond, the shouts of young children filled the air amidst the cicadas' chirping, creating a lively and interesting scene.

There was also a slightly panting sound mixed in.

Under the pavilion, Chen Yuan, who was drinking tea, suddenly stopped his hand, which had been holding up a teacup, in the afternoon light and shadow.

Then light and shadow flickered in his eyes, and he slowly closed them.

After a few breaths,
In the pond, a drop of water clung to the tip of a lotus leaf and dripped down, landing on the water's surface with a soft "drip-drop," creating ripples on the water's surface.

In an instant, centered on the ripples, a large amount of white mist suddenly emanated from the pond, soaring into the sky and then transforming into a dome that descended from all around the courtyard.

The mist, initially like a light veil, swirled through the bamboo grove and became a waterfall, flowing down the eaves and corners of the walls. In an instant, it spread over the inner rooms, pavilions, and ponds, transforming the bamboo grove into a faint shadow in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

The sky suddenly darkened, not in the way of dark clouds obscuring the sun, but more like ink spreading on rice paper, turning the edges of the eaves, the moss at the base of the walls, and the artificial hills and pavilions in the courtyard into a gray hue.

The square pond in the courtyard is the most wonderful thing. The shimmering waves have faded to the off-white color of rice paper. The fish's tails trail light ink lines, and the lotus leaves stretch out among them, becoming ink blots of varying shades. Only the pink buds that are about to bloom are like brush tips dipped in rouge, swaying gently in the wind amidst the ink.

Meanwhile, by the pond, the two brothers who had finally finished their work saw this amazing scene and Tiger Cub opened his eyes wide and exclaimed in surprise.

"Brother!"

When the third senior brother, Chu Yu, saw the thick fog transforming the vibrant courtyard into lines of varying shades, as if imprinting the entire courtyard into a traditional Chinese ink painting, his pupils dilated in shock. Then, seeing the fog rapidly swirling towards him, he was startled and quickly drew his sword, thrusting it forward to shield his junior brother behind him.

“ceng”

A clear, resonant sword rang out.

The mist rolled in, and then, as if a freeze-frame button had been pressed, the sword, which had just been drawn half an inch from its sheath, froze, becoming ink-wash lines.

The two fellow disciples were the same; their bodies were stiff, and their facial expressions were frozen in place. Their eyes were wide open, their mouths were agape, like statues. They could not make a sound, only their eyes could move, turning aimlessly as they looked towards the pavilion.

But then, ripples suddenly spread across the pond in the middle.

Several ink-like marks swirled up from the bottom of the water, revealing a misty, ink-like vapor that settled on a few lotus leaves. As the vapor gathered, several clear human figures materialized in an instant.
The leader, clad in black armor and sporting a goatee, stood atop the largest lotus leaf with two clear black and white eyes dotted with black lacquer. The hem of his cloak draped over the water, blending seamlessly with the inky blackness of the surface.
The figure on the left wore a simple black and white dress, but the edges of the dress were faintly glowing with a hazy light. She had a tasseled ponytail, a hairpin at the back, and a beautiful face.
The figure on the right was quite fiery and alluring, with a slit in her skirt, like rice paper wet by rain, vaguely revealing the red lotus underneath. With a light touch of her fingertips, new ink lotuses bloomed one after another on the water's surface.

Following closely behind, a series of ink-wash figures materialized one after another, making a total of six figures.

The six figures swayed gently in the mist, like the wind blowing across a still-wet canvas. The lotus leaves trembled lightly, and the falling water droplets fell into the pond. The ripples made the figures appear even more solid, as if they were about to step out of the painting and become real people, leaving this suddenly changed world.

In this small world of black and white, only the pavilion remained in its original color, untouched by any stain. Chen Yuan, dressed in a green robe, stood up with a blue and white porcelain cup in his hand, came to the railing, his eyes gleaming with golden light, and his gaze swept over the familiar figures that appeared one after another on the lotus leaves!

Miss Qin, Sect Leader An, Dugu Jialuo...

"General!"

Gongsun Yang, who was at the head of the group, stood up and bowed, letting out a deep sound.

"What happened? Why are all of you together?!"

Chen Yuan raised his eyebrows, looked at the expressions of the others, realized something, and his voice was somewhat low.

He knew that Gongsun Yang would know his limits, otherwise he wouldn't have used such magic to allow several people to meet from afar.

Gongsun Yang withdrew his hand and looked up, his clear black and white eyes gleaming with a sharp light.
"Reporting to the general, Miss Qin and the others have an urgent matter to ask of us. It concerns several old friends of my Ninth Mountain. Fellow Daoist Yuan Kun of Benlei Mountain has disappeared without a trace, and Fellow Daoist Qingyangzi, who went to inquire about their whereabouts, has also disappeared."

Gongsun Yang gave a brief report on the matter.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan's eyebrows furrowed, and a sharp aura shot out from his eyes, as if to tear apart the ink painting-like landscape of the small courtyard.

Yuan Kun of Benlei Mountain and Qingyangzi of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect were among the first group of heroes from the Jianghu to respond to his call for the Ninth Mountain to rush to the front lines. Later, they even dared to break out of the Heavenly Prison for their comrades from the Ninth Mountain, and they deserved to be called fellow Daoists.

When several people went missing, his first thought was whether some guys were targeting him.
After all, he had quite a few enemies.

"I need to know the specifics!"

Chen Yuan flung the teacup in his hand, and with a loud crack, the teacup shattered, spilling tea everywhere. The sound was like a thunderclap, shaking the entire courtyard.

To Gongsun Yang's left, Qin Rushuang finally saw Chen Yuan. Her beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and she stepped forward to speak.
"Brother Chen, this matter dates back to a few days ago..."

She recounted the whole story.

From inviting fellow Daoists, to not receiving a response from Daoist Yuan Kun of Benlei Mountain, to writing to ask Daoist Li of Fulong Temple and Daoist Qingyangzi of Shushan to search for him, to the subsequent disappearance of Qingyangzi, Daoist Li went to Shushan for help and sent Ji Wuming to Chengdu to deliver the message.

When Ji Wuming was called out again to provide further information, he was extremely excited when facing Chen Yuan. His heart, which had been filled with anxiety for his master, finally felt a sense of peace.

In his eyes, General Chen had been kind to him and was incredibly powerful; he was sure he could find his master!
He bowed respectfully to General Chen, trying to calm himself down.

"My master finally disappeared at Zhuiri Ridge, 800 miles south of Benlei Mountain!"

"Right now, our sect leader and Senior Li are using the soul lamp left behind by our master in the sect to conduct a large-scale search, but the chances are slim!"

"When I came down, the sect leader specifically instructed me to see the general, because only the general can save my master!"

As he spoke, he suddenly knelt down, his voice choked with sobs, his emotions utterly heart-wrenching.
"My master treats my fellow disciples like his own children. Please, General, save my master!"

After saying this, he kowtowed.

At this moment, Chen Yuan, having heard the whole story, raised his hand to help Ji Wuming up, and asked in a cold, hard voice, "..."
"What did you bring with you that belonged to your master?"

"This general needs to establish his presence!"

"Yes!" Ji Wuming, who was lifted up by an invisible force, quickly nodded.
"When the sect leader sent me here, he specially separated a wisp of soul fire from Master's soul lamp and asked me to give it to the general!" As he spoke, he took something out of his sleeve.

But the hand couldn't get into the sleeve, or rather, it went straight through.

Just as he was getting anxious, he saw Chen Yuan raise his hand and wave a wisp of ink towards him, which flew towards the other person's figure and disappeared into his sleeve.

They all used Gongsun Yang's supernatural powers to project themselves across nearly ten thousand miles. Since they were illusory beings, the things hidden in their sleeves were not observed and could not be projected over.

Now, Chen Yuan can cast the spell.

Then, Ji Wuming took out a lamp from his sleeve. The lamp body was black when projected onto the light, and the flame on it was also black. The flame was like a small bean with a tiny white dot inside, and it had a very weak aura of pure divine soul.

Upon seeing this, Ji Wuming's hand tightened, his heart clenched, and he cried out, "Master!"
Upon seeing this, the others' eyes narrowed; the soul lamp was about to go out.

This means Fellow Daoist Qingyangzi is in trouble!
The aura was faint and difficult to detect using specific supernatural abilities. After all, the soul lamp was generally just a token used by sects to determine the life or death of disciples, and the aura it left behind was very small. It was difficult to use it to track and sense the location of the person, as the distance was very limited.

Right now, this soul fire is as small as a bean, like a candle flickering in the wind... Everyone's hearts tightened, and they looked at Chen Yuan expectantly.

Now, only General Chen has a solution.

Facing the anxious gazes of the crowd, Chen Yuan didn't waste any words. With a single gesture, he summoned the lamp to his front.

Then, the flesh between Chen Yuan's eyebrows suddenly tore open, and a beam of crystal-clear light shot out, landing on the black lamp flame.

The black flame immediately flared up like oil being poured into a raging fire, suddenly expanding into a blazing inferno in the blink of an eye, spreading out like black ink, while the white spots in the center turned into blank spaces.

As the flames swept in, the black and white colors began to splash and paint, creating a scene.

There are mountains, forests, sky, and human figures!

This reflects a scene!
Although the scene is in black and white, the figures reflected in it are clearly visible: a Taoist priest wearing a turban and a Taoist robe, holding a whisk, and a middle-aged man in white with a sword on his back and a white face and long beard, sitting cross-legged above a mountain stream, with a black lamp floating in front of them, their fingers forming hand seals to activate the lamp.

The two were none other than Master Li Guanyi of Fulong Temple, who had returned from Benlei Mountain but had not seen Qingyangzi, and Yi Cangtian, the head of the Shushan Sword Sect, who had dealt with Chen Yuan quite a bit!
Judging from their appearance, the two were still activating the soul lamp to search for Qingyangzi.

However, at this pace, two days have passed, and it seems that the two have gained nothing.

This scene was also witnessed by Qin Rushuang and the others, who were filled with surprise and doubt.

This is……

Chen Yuan frowned. He had used his Heavenly Eye to lock onto a wisp of soul fire that Qingyangzi had separated, but the projected image was not Qingyangzi's location, but rather the other party's soul lamp.

This ignited a fire in his eyes!
He instinctively transmitted his voice, which was somber.

"Yi Cangtian, put away that soul lamp of yours!"

As his voice fell, thousands of miles away, in that vast sky, Chen Yuan's voice resounded like rolling thunder.

Yi Cangtian, who was performing a spell in the mountain stream, and Li Daoshi, who was protecting him, were startled when they heard the grand voice that seemed to come from beyond the heavens. Then, their tired expressions lifted.

"It's Lord Chen's voice!"

Although Yi Cangtian did not understand the meaning, he still did as he was told, withdrew his hand seals, and put the soul lamp into his sleeve.

He then stood up, looked up at the sky, and awaited further instructions.

Nine thousand miles away, Chen Yuan saw this and once again shot out a beam of crystal-clear divine light from his third eye, which struck the scene before him.

Divine light shot out and fell into the scroll formed by the lamp flames. Immediately, the image of Master Li and others began to disappear. The black and white energies were disrupted and then reassembled, but this time the scroll was completely empty.

Blank!
Upon seeing this, Qin Rushuang and the others felt a chill run down their spines!

Chen Yuan's face finally darkened. He raised his hand and wiped the blank screen, and the images of Li Guanyi and Yi Cangtian reappeared.

Then, Chen Yuan stepped into the painting, his figure disappearing into the scroll. The next second, he appeared nine thousand miles away, appearing out of thin air above Yi Cangtian and the other person.

Upon seeing him appear, Yi Cangtian and his companion were overjoyed, as if they had seen a savior. They leaped into the air and landed a short distance below Chen Yuan, raising their hands in a gesture of respect.
"Greetings, Lord Chen!"

Chen Yuan glanced at the two of them and noticed that Li Guanyi had also broken through to the Musashi level, but now was not the time to discuss that.

"I already know what happened. Qingyangzi's soul fire was supposed to locate it with the Heavenly Eye Divine Power, but it couldn't find any trace of it. The whole world was a blank."

Upon hearing this, Yi Cangtian immediately understood its meaning. His face turned ugly, his eyes narrowed, and a few blood vessels appeared in them.
"My lord, is it really impossible for you to find Junior Brother Qingyangzi?"

Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve, his gaze falling on the other person's eyes, then shifting to the Taoist priest Li beside him, lost in thought.
"Master Li, according to the report from the messenger, you once fought with an unidentified person at Benlei Mountain. Do you know anything about that guy's background?"

Upon hearing this, Li Guan's eyebrows twitched immediately, as if he had remembered something.

"I fought with that guy, but from my observation, it was just an inanimate object, like a puppet. Neither I nor my fellow Daoist Qingyangzi noticed its existence. It was only when I used a recording stone to record the situation at Benlei Mountain in preparation for investigating the matter after we left that the statue in the hall suddenly sprang up."

As he spoke, Master Li flicked his sleeve, and a crystal stone flew out. Then, he activated the stone, and instantly, it emitted electricity and light, shooting out a beam of light that projected into the void.

"This photographic stone is my personal record; the first one was destroyed by the other party."

The projected image showed lightning and thunder, dark clouds, and a hundred-foot-tall blue-faced deity holding a magic sword, drawing in the heavenly lightning.

Upon seeing this object, Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly; it seemed to possess only the aura of Musashi.

He shot out a beam of divine light from his third eye between his brows, which entered the recording stone and forcibly captured the image of the blue-faced deity.

Then, the second stage of Tianmu's supernatural powers were activated.

His newly acquired second stage of the Heavenly Eye Divine Power allows him to trace cause and effect.

The recording stone hummed and vibrated, and the projected image showed a sky full of thunder and dark clouds, changing and shifting rapidly as if a fast-forward button had been pressed, before finally adding a scene that was not there.

Suddenly, the blue-faced deity transformed into a bird, flew into the sky, and landed on a cliff.

There is Qingyangzi there.

The bird then transformed into the likeness of Master Li. (End of Chapter)