Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 736 Silent Immortal Palace (Seeking Subscription)
"Then how does this improve you?" Dong Shigang, who wasn't familiar with the mechanical body, asked curiously as he observed Pei Yan's excited demeanor.
Pei Yan didn't respond and instead fell into deep thought. After a moment, he slowly raised his arm and, following the records in the Celestial Secret Pavilion's Puppet Secret Technique, began to circulate and suppress the internal source energy. A fist-sized column of energy shot out from his palm, disappearing into space. Only then did Pei Yan react, exclaiming, "Oh no!" and quickly withdrew from the space back to reality.
Pei Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with lingering fear as he looked at the round hole in his roof, blaming himself, "I was too excited and forgot that this space is connected to the real world. It's a good thing no one got hurt."
"Your destructive power isn't all that strong either," remarked Dong Shigang, who had followed Pei Yan out, feeling somewhat disappointed as he looked in the same direction.
However, Pei Yan's attitude was entirely different. He disarmed the mecha and leapt up to the broken hole, lightly tracing the edge with his fingers as he felt the smooth, mirror-like surface. His face revealed a satisfied smile as he flipped back to the ground.
"How do you find the effect, satisfied?" Elder Lin asked with a smile, having understood the key to the technique.
"Very satisfied, extremely satisfied. The condensation of source energy didn't release any excess damage, it fully penetrated the target. And this isn't the limit of compressing source energy. If I combine it with my ability to absorb Blood Shard fragments from the Hell Plane, I can further compress it within my body, exponentially increasing the destructive power." Pei Yan said, returning to his mechanical state with a shake of his hand, looking at the surging flames in his palm, lamenting, "This is just one form of attack from the Puppet Secret Technique. There are other recorded moves, but unfortunately, most of them require talismans to use, and few are suitable for me to perform."
Sighing, he shook his head and gave a bitter laugh, self-deprecating, "I suppose I'm too greedy. The remaining techniques are top-tier and will require time to slowly digest and become familiar with. Hahaha, I don't know what the Shen Yu group is plotting, but they definitely didn't expect to give me such a great gift. Now I can say I'm stronger than ever! I feel more confident about winning the upcoming exam!"
"Confidence is good, but you still need to be cautious and not underestimate your enemies. And pay attention to that last mechanical puppet, I have a feeling it's quite peculiar," Gu Shenghui warned, knowing Pei Yan's tendency to become overconfident when pleased.
Pei Yan nodded, acknowledging Gu Shenghui's good intentions, then glanced at the broken roof. Realizing he couldn't stay in that room anymore, and with plenty of rooms around, he lazily decided against finding someone to repair it. Instead, he simply chose another room and continued delving into the remaining secret arts in his books.
In the following days, Pei Yan immersed himself in the novel secret techniques, becoming almost obsessed. Apart from meals and bathroom breaks, nearly all his energy was devoted to researching new moves. He was finally drawn back to reality only when a series of urgent knocks echoed, reluctantly closing the books in front of him and storing them in his spatial ring. Stretching with exhaustion, he said, "Come in."
Entering the room, Gu Shenghui observed Pei Yan's dark circles with a mixture of amusement and frustration, "There's no rush. Your health is the most important asset. Look at yourself, you look nearly unrecognizable."
Pei Yan stood up and looked in the mirror, chuckling despite himself as he saw his messy hair and haggard complexion, his face pale and ashen. His eyes, although still bright, were encircled by dark rings, like a testament to the toll he had taken on his body over the past few days. Rubbing his eyes, Pei Yan rotated his aching shoulders and feigned nonchalance, "Got it. I lost control and went too deep, I'll be more careful in the future. Gu Chu, are you here because there's news from the Immortal Palace?"
Gu Shenghui shook his head and briefly explained the current situation to Pei Yan. Since the attack that night, the restrictions on the diplomatic groups from various planes had been lifted, but they were still confined within Chongren Square. For several days, no further instructions had been provided. Previously, they could communicate with the Immortal Palace through the disciples of Celestial Sword Manor residing in the court, but now those people had been detained, and for reasons unknown, other sects within the Heroes Pavilion had collectively shut their doors, politely declining any visits from the Investigation Hall or other delegations. Currently, the four major planar delegations seemed like forgotten islands by the Daoist Realm, completely cut off from external contact.
"How can this be?" Pei Yan asked, struggling to shake off the exhaustion from his research as he rubbed his sleepy cheeks and forced himself to stay alert. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
Gu Shenghui took a water cup from the table, filled it, and handed it to Pei Yan, "The bigger the crisis like this, the larger the underlying problem."
After downing the drink in one gulp, Pei Yan felt much more refreshed. Tilting his head, he looked at Gu Shenghui in confusion, "The Immortal Palace can't suppress it anymore?"
"That's highly possible. Failing to give us a response for so long is a very discourteous act for the Daoist Realm, which has led the major planes for an extended period. This situation was previously unimaginable, suggesting they've fallen into internal chaos, unable to reach a consensus, and hence cannot respond to us. Observing the reactions from other sects in recent days, it seems they're questioning the authority of the Immortal Palace," Gu Shenghui said thoughtfully as he sat back down, troubled.
"Let them squabble, then. Once they've fought to a bloody stalemate and reached a conclusion, we'll bring up this matter again. Whether they agree or not doesn't really matter; we've already gained our benefits and never promised them a guaranteed acceptance." Pei Yan said, resting his head on his hand, feeling exasperated, "Is this really the time for infighting when we are facing formidable foes? If they keep going like this, I really doubt the necessity of working with these people."
"Every family has its difficulties, and hidden dangers only become more glaring during crises. For organizations like the Immortal Palace and the three major associations that have existed for millennia, it's understandable for internal issues to be complex. I came today to inform you of these changes and to let you know that Yao Xuefang has arrived and is ready to examine that puppet at any time."
"Really? Then let's go quickly!" Pei Yan exclaimed, as if injected with a shot of adrenaline, leaping up from his bed and hurriedly slipping on his shoes, filled with excitement.
"What did I just say? I told you to take care of your body, and here you are, ignoring it all over again. What's the rush? The person is already here and won't run away," Gu Shenghui scolded with a stern face, "You smell like you're spoiling. Just now, your eyes were drooping while talking to me. You're so exhausted, yet you still push yourself! Go wash up and rest properly today. I'll arrange for you two to meet tomorrow for the inspection!"
