If it were the Heavenly Demon Lord and the Vermilion Bird at their peak, discovering them would have been absolutely effortless. After all, in terms of absolute strength, both the Heavenly Demon Lord and the Vermilion Bird at their peak were among the foremost existences of the ancient era.
As for this Seventh Young Master Xiahou and his two attendants, at best they were merely descendants of the ancient remnant bloodline. Two hundred thousand years had passed — how much had actually been handed down from generation to generation was another matter entirely.
When Elder Peng and Elder Mo saw that the Seventh Young Master had fallen silent, they seemed to realize that their words might have been a bit too blunt.
Elder Peng counseled, "Seventh Young Master, our search for the Heavenly Secret Decree and our efforts against Jiang Chen are not actually at odds with one another. Besides, from what this subordinate has observed, this Jiang Chen appears to be a man of extraordinary fortune. It's entirely possible that, in the future, the Heavenly Secret Decree may even end up being found through him."
"Him?" The Wind Cloud Sect Master scoffed. "A mundane commoner? Even if he has some luck, it's limited. His fortune only amounts to something in a backwater like the Human Domain. Over in Myriad Abyss Island, geniuses of his caliber are a dime a dozen — not even worth a second glance."
Deep down, the Seventh Young Master still carried the reserve and pride of the Xiahou clan. Toward Jiang Chen, he felt both hatred and loathing, yet somehow could not simply devour him in one gulp.
Elder Mo shook his head, disagreeing with the Seventh Young Master's assessment.
"This Jiang Chen must not be underestimated." That was Elder Mo's position.
Elder Peng also urged, "Seventh Young Master, you absolutely must not underestimate this young man. Otherwise, our Wind Cloud Sect may end up suffering a terrible loss at his hands in the future."
"You two are being far too dramatic — aren't you giving that brat far too much credit?" The Wind Cloud Sect Master was utterly unconvinced.
"It's no exaggeration. Over the past several days, I've gathered quite a bit of information about him. The things he's accomplished in the Human Domain are truly earth-shattering. Everyone on the outside assumes he achieved all of this because he has people from Myriad Abyss Island backing him."
"In reality, the only people from Myriad Abyss Island who have any connection to him are the Yan family. Elder Shun and that little girl Huang'er — we know precisely what the Yan family's resources amount to. The Pine Crane Pill, the Ten Thousand Year Pill, the Emperor Soaring Pill, the Imperial Surge Pill — none of these are things the Yan family could ever produce. Seventh Young Master, there's far more to this story than meets the eye!"
Elder Peng's tone was heavy with implication.
Elder Mo nodded as well. "These pills are of an extraordinarily high grade. Even in Myriad Abyss Island, a Heavenly Pill Immortal might not be capable of developing them."
It was rare for Elder Mo to say so much at once.
The Wind Cloud Sect Master contemplated for a long while, then released a soft sigh. "That Jiang Chen has truly had damned good luck. I'm genuinely curious — where on earth do his pill formulas come from? Elder Peng, based on your analysis, where do you think he obtained these recipes?"
Elder Peng had been turning this question over in his mind endlessly as well. He simply could not figure it out. If miraculous pills like these had appeared in Myriad Abyss Island, they would have caused a sensation — so how had they shown up in the Human Domain? And in a Human Domain that had declined to such a degree, no less?
Could it really be true that one could commune with the gods? Had Jiang Chen, after being beaten down in the Eastern Kingdom, truly touched the divine and been bestowed such blessings?
That sort of thing was far too ethereal and fantastical. Even Elder Peng himself found it hard to believe.
But if not for that explanation, how else could these pill formulas be accounted for? For a mundane young man to have produced so many miraculous recipes entirely on his own?
That was even less logical.
"This subordinate speculates that perhaps in his youth, this young man truly received guidance from some exalted senior. Or perhaps he stumbled into a secret realm and obtained these formulas by chance?"
Even Elder Peng was not entirely confident in his own speculation. This line of reasoning was, at best, somewhat far-fetched. Put plainly, it was nothing more than wishful thinking.
"If he obtained these formulas from a secret realm, how could a mundane brat like him possibly refine them? The difficulty of crafting these pills would likely require only a Heavenly Pill Immortal to handle perfectly — even a Pill Emperor would find it taxing."
"Alas, that is precisely why this young man is shrouded in so many mysteries."
"Last time at Sinking Fragrance Valley, the boy got damned lucky again and obtained the Sacred One Sect's legacy treasures. This kid really does have extraordinary fortune."
The master and his two servants sighed with mingled emotion.
They had come from Myriad Abyss Island to the Human Domain, and everything had initially gone smoothly. They had assumed they would sweep all before them, but now Jiang Chen and the Glazed Glass King City stood squarely in their path, making it exceedingly difficult for them to do as they wished in the Human Domain.
They had come to the Human Domain primarily to search for ancient clues and locate the Heavenly Secret Decree. Naturally, the Heavenly Secret Decree was the foremost objective.
Beyond that ultimate goal, they harbored other ambitions as well.
In the ancient era, the human race had boasted countless powerful sects, and those powerful sects had possessed untold numbers of sect artifacts, sect scriptures, sect resources, and the like.
When those ancient fugitives had fled to Myriad Abyss Island, they had certainly taken many resources and treasures with them.
However, the most essential things from the ancient era had not all been carried away. Much still remained in the Human Domain — it was just that two hundred thousand years was more than enough time to bury every trace of splendor and glory beneath the dust of history.
Take the Sacred One Sect, for instance. If the Sinking Fragrance Valley secret realm had never been opened, if the Heavenly Demon Lord had not provided protection along the way, and if the Vermilion Bird had been standing guard — who could possibly have fought their way into the Sacred One Sect's sealed sanctum?
"Hmph! That brat truly is bizarre. The Vermilion Bird — with its violent temper — why does it show such special favor toward him alone?"
That was the one thing that confused them all the most.