The three individuals couldn’t help but be alarmed—the Left Middle Lang of the Fuzheng Pavilion, a peak figure of the God Refining Realm, merely half a step away from the Returning Void Realm, had actually been accommodated by someone!
Qin Su had asked Fan Peng to test Chen Tang precisely because Fan Peng was strong enough and had a high enough cultivation level!
Fan Peng hailed from a family in the region and had been known as a prodigy since childhood. By middle age, he had reached the Three Corpses Realm and had vanquished the Three Corpses.
Later, during a duel, his Primordial Spirit was injured, causing his cultivation to stagnate. Fortunately, he met a young master, who not only arranged for his treatment but also ordered the Taiping Sect to steal the Resurrection Lotus from the underworld to refine the Resurrection Pill for him, ultimately healing his old wounds of the Primordial Spirit.
After his recovery, he advanced to the God Refining Realm in just a few years. Now in his sixties, he was very close to the Returning Void Realm and was a hopeful young master to reach the Mahayana Realm!
—Compared to others of his realm, he was indeed young.
Yet such an individual still failed to uncover Chen Tang’s true capacity!
What realm was Chen Tang, really?
Chen Tang was even younger than Fan Peng, always kept a low profile, and was often overlooked by many, who thought little of his cultivation and strength.
What was the purpose of him hiding his strength?
"The Chen Family across three generations should not be underestimated!" Fan Peng murmured softly.
Due to his early bedtime, Chen Shi woke up early, had breakfast, and immediately set out for the Guangji Storehouse.
As soon as he stepped out the door, he saw Yu Lingzi sitting across from the Chen Mansion, his neck still slightly bruised and his complexion not very good, probably still suffering from yesterday’s injuries.
Chen Shi hadn’t been harsh; with a month or two of rest, Yu Lingzi would likely return to his peak condition. With the aid of the Spiritual Medicine from the Taihua Qing Palace, his recovery might be even quicker.
However, he might miss the Imperial Examination.
Upon seeing him exit, Yu Lingzi immediately stood up and said, "Chen Shi... Uncle-Master."
He finally followed his heart and after calling out "Uncle-Master," he felt much more relaxed. Being scolded by an elder wasn’t a big deal, as he was often reprimanded by his uncle-masters in the Taihua Qing Palace.
Chen Shi was puzzled, "Yu Lingzi, why do you call me Uncle-Master?"
Yu Lingzi’s voice was still a bit hoarse from his injuries, and he explained the relationship between the green sheep and the Taihua Qing Palace.
"Is Uncle Green Sheep the founder of your Taihua Qing Palace?" Chen Shi was greatly surprised.
He wasn’t aware of Green Sheep’s origins and had thought it was a spirit from Qianyang Mountain, but now it seemed Qianyang Mountain had already nurtured the Great Snake Xuan Shan; it probably didn’t have sufficient territory to also support a green sheep.
Yu Lingzi looked around and noticed a Heaven Listener crouched nearby under the eaves, listening intently to their conversation while rapidly recording.
"After you left yesterday, I observed those Heaven Listeners and discovered they had come to eavesdrop on you,"
Yu Lingzi said, "Having Heaven Listeners around you is not good news. Those who merit the involvement of so many Heaven Listeners are often rebels."
Chen Shi also looked towards the Heaven Listener on the rooftop and smiled, "I’m already used to it."
Yu Lingzi shook his head, "If Heaven Listeners think you pose a threat, they will eliminate you. A Venerable King among the Heaven Listeners will not be inferior to those in the Returning Void Realm or Mahayana Realm."
"They heard what we said, but it’s all been modified by Black Pot," Chen Shi laughed.
Black Pot followed them, amiably wagging his tail at Yu Lingzi.
Yu Lingzi felt like he was seeing a kind and approachable older brother. Hearing some encouraging words from the elder dog, he felt a sense of warmth and said, "So it’s Elder Black Pot. When I was a child, Elder Black Pot even held me once. I didn’t expect to meet the elder here again..."
As he spoke, his gaze grew puzzled as if he sensed something was amiss.
But he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.
Chen Shi glared at Black Pot and slowly shook his head.
Black Pot then restrained himself a bit.
"Yu Lingzi, what’s the origin of these Heaven Listeners?" Chen Shi inquired. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
He was quite curious about these Heaven Listeners, who resembled cultivators but not entirely, appearing more like Mechanicians with certain wisdom who followed some peculiar rules.
Their Taoist skills were also peculiar; their ears could grow at will, and they could use their ears as wings to fly.
They could also transform their Qi-Blood into many arms, a highly powerful combat skill normally possessed only by deeply rooted families or major sects, yet every Heaven Listener could perform it.
They didn’t use this skill for combat but to record complex messages.
What puzzled Chen Shi the most was, the Heaven Listeners recorded so much daily—whom did they report all this information to?
Heaven listening meant to reach up to the heavens.
Could it be that the Outer Heaven True God actually reviewed the information collected by the Heaven Listeners?
Or was there someone else above these information-collecting Heaven Listeners?
Yu Lingzi snapped out of his stupor and said, "Heaven Listeners collect things that heaven doesn’t know and report them up to the heavens. The collected information is escalated tier by tier, eventually reported to the Venerable King. As for what lies beyond the Venerable King, I don’t know."
He looked up at the sky where the eyes of the Outer Heaven True God transformed into two suns, illuminating the earth, granting brightness to humanity and discerning all earthly affairs clearly.
"Our Taihua Qing Palace is extremely secretive about Heaven Listeners, calling them madmen, just like the Independents. In places with Heaven Listeners, many people dare not speak, fearing they might offend.
Yu Lingzi withdrew his gaze and said, "Even the Thirteen Families and various Holy Lands turn a blind eye, allowing them to eavesdrop. It’s said to be a rule passed down since the True King Era."