198: Chapter 197 Hidden Appearance

Lin Chen leaned back in his chair, calculating what position he should arrange for Immortal Lord Dameng.

In terms of cultivation, his was the highest in the Sect right now; even Immortal Xuan Yang was an entire major Realm lower.

Logically speaking, with such cultivation, it wouldn't be excessive for him to open his own peak or establish his own hall.

Should he create a higher rank above Sequence Elder specifically for the level of an Immortal Lord?

But on second thought, the Flying Immortal Terrace was already built, and the Linglong Dao Palace had been upgraded.

In the coming period, the cultivation of the powerhouses in the Sect would surely undergo a major change; those at the Great Emperor Peak would charge into the True Immortal Realm, and True Immortals would charge into the Profound Immortal Realm.

The current Elder System was indeed falling a bit behind the speed of the Sect's expansion.

He pondered for a moment and decided not to make any moves for now.

It wouldn't be too late to make unified adjustments once this group's cultivation stabilized.

He retracted his thoughts and said to Immortal Lord Dameng:

"Right now, the Sect's Elder System is about to be reorganized. For now, you will hold the title of Sequence Elder. When the Sect makes unified adjustments later, your rank will be redefined based on your cultivation and merit."

Immortal Lord Dameng's expression turned serious as he bowed, "Thank you, Sect Master!"

He straightened up, carefully considered his words, and spoke again,

"Sect Master, I have one more matter to report. When I descended upon this continent, my Divine Sense spread across the Five Domains and discovered a few interesting places."

Lin Chen's interest was piqued, "Oh? Tell me about it."

Immortal Lord Dameng said, "The first place—I discovered that on the east and west sides of this continent, there is a location in each where two True Immortal Realm Cultivators are suppressed deep underground."

"Their auras are very weak, but they are still alive. Both Seals are intact."

He paused, his eyebrows raised slightly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement,

"However, what surprised me was that the sealing methods were not the work of Immortal Dao cultivators. The person who laid the Seals hadn't even reached the Immortal Realm, yet they could suppress True Immortals."

"This technique is quite unique; I've never seen anything like it before."

Lin Chen's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

Not an Immortal Dao cultivator, yet able to suppress True Immortals?

He subconsciously thought of Ancestor Lingtong, who had been slapped to death by Dabai in the Cangmang Mountains.

That fellow had also been suppressed in the Southern Region, and the one who suppressed him was the Ancient Human Emperor.

A ruthless character who hadn't even reached the Immortal Realm but could use the power of Luck to suppress True Immortals.

It perfectly matched the methods described by Immortal Lord Dameng.

Another thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

The human emperor heaven-suppressing tower and human emperor token in Lin Nian's hands had resonated the moment they touched.

The System's appraisal also said that these two items were forged by the Human Emperor using the power of Luck.

Since the East and West Regions each had a Human Emperor Seal, would there also be similar Luck Magic Treasures hidden within those Seals?

With the human emperor token and the heaven-suppressing tower, if he could collect a few more, he might actually be able to assemble a complete set of Human Emperor relics for Lin Nian.

He kept this thought in mind, his expression remaining calm as he gave a slight nod:

"Continue."

Immortal Lord Dameng spoke again:

"The second place—deep within the Void Realm of the Endless Sea in the Eastern Region, there is an Immortal Lord's remains hidden."

"Judging by its condition, this Immortal Lord died a long time ago. The location is extremely well-hidden within a spatial layer; if my Divine Sense hadn't reached the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Lord Realm, I probably wouldn't have noticed it."

An Immortal Lord's remains?

Lin Chen's hand holding the teacup froze. Something like this actually existed on the Desolate Ancient Continent?

He was silent for two breaths, several scattered clues in his mind suddenly connecting.

The Great Sun Heavenly Sect, the Immortal Slaying Array, and the blockade of the Desolate Ancient Continent.

After Immortal Qing Li broke the array, he had been wondering why an Immortal Realm power would go to such lengths to keep an eye on this continent for so many years.

Could it be this Immortal Lord's remains?

However, since it was an Immortal Lord's remains, there should be many good things inside.

He set down his teacup and looked at Immortal Lord Dameng: "Do you have a way to enter?"

Immortal Lord Dameng said:

"Rest assured, Sect Master. That fellow has been dead for too long. Although I'm not sure exactly how strong he was when he was alive, one thing is certain—he wasn't as strong as I am. Entering won't be a problem."

Lin Chen nodded.

Since it was accessible, then this Sect Master wouldn't be polite.

"Is there anything else worth noting?"

Immortal Lord Dameng set aside his previous composed look, a rare trace of solemnity appearing on his face:

"There is indeed one more place. That place, I completely cannot see through."

Lin Chen's hand holding the teacup stopped.

"My Divine Sense swept across the entire continent, and every place was laid bare, except for that barren mountain range. When my Divine Sense probed there, it was like crashing into a thick fog; I couldn't see anything."

Lin Chen set down his teacup, his brow furrowing.

Immortal Lord Dameng was at the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Lord Realm, yet he actually couldn't see through that barren mountain.

Could an Immortal King be hidden there?

What was going on with this continent? It was one thing to have an Immortal Lord's remains, but now there was a possible existence of an Immortal King.

Lin Chen called out in his heart.

"Brother System, do you have any clues about that place?"

[Host, you also know about this place.]

Lin Chen became even more curious: "I know it too?"

[Yes. This place is the Great Desolate Village.]

Lin Chen was stunned for a moment.

The Great Desolate Village—he remembered it.

Back when he first opened the mountain to recruit Disciples, Shi Man came to participate in the entry examination. He had checked Shi Man's information through the System, and the origin column said Great Desolate Village.

At that time, the System had added a comment saying it was a "mysterious village."

He hadn't paid much attention back then; just a small village, how mysterious could it be?

Looking at it now, it was indeed mysterious!

"System, what exactly is the origin of the Great Desolate Village?"

[I don't know.]

Lin Chen was speechless:

"You don't know? Then why did you mention the Great Desolate Village? What are you playing at?"

The System's tone remained flat, but Lin Chen always felt a faint sense of grievance in that mechanical voice.

[Host, I know about the Great Desolate Village because Shi Man joined the Taixuan Sect, which allowed me to see the name of that place through him.]

[But the key is—Shi Man himself doesn't know what's going on with the Great Desolate Village. He grew up in the village and only considered it an ordinary village. This is the extent of the information I can obtain through him.]

Lin Chen's Divine Thought flickered, and a voice transmission was sent out.

A moment later, steady footsteps came from outside the hall. Shi Man strode into the Sect Masters Hall and bowed:

"Disciple Shi Man pays respects to the Sect Master."

He straightened up, his gaze falling on Immortal Lord Dameng to the side.

Shi Man hesitated, not knowing how to address him.

Lin Chen said casually: "This is Immortal Lord Dameng, a newly returned Sequence Elder of the Sect."

Shi Man hurriedly bowed again:

"Disciple Shi Man greets Elder Dameng."

Immortal Lord Dameng nodded slightly as a return gesture.

Only then did Shi Man turn to Lin Chen and ask respectfully: "I wonder why the Sect Master has summoned me?"

Lin Chen glanced at him, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

Venerable Middle Stage; this kid's cultivation speed wasn't slow, and his Foundation was solid.

"Venerable Middle Stage, not bad."

Lin Chen praised him first.

Shi Man grinned and scratched his head:

"It's all thanks to the Sect's good resources. I'm just a simple person using simple methods, just training hard."

Lin Chen didn't beat around the bush and asked directly:

"Shi Man, your hometown is the Great Desolate Village, right?"

Shi Man was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting the Sect Master to suddenly mention this.

The Great Desolate Village was so remote it couldn't even be found on a map. He had filled in his origin when he joined, but no one had ever taken it seriously.

The Sect Master was busy with a thousand things yet actually remembered that the hometown of a mere Core Disciple was called the Great Desolate Village.

"Yes, Sect Master, my hometown is indeed the Great Desolate Village."

Lin Chen leaned back in his chair and asked another question:

"Then you've been out for so long, have you not contacted the village?"

Hearing this, the smile on Shi Man's face immediately turned a bit sheepish.

He spoke with some embarrassment:

"To be honest, Sect Master, I ran away. The Elders in the village are very strict and never allowed us to go outside. One day, I accidentally wandered out of the village."

"As a result, when I wanted to go back, I couldn't find the way no matter what. Later, after wandering outside for a while, I happened to hear that the Sect was recruiting Disciples, so I came."