Chapter 270: Surveillance And A Harvest
Mo Yunjian silently took one of the scrolls, eyes flicking across its content. "A reconnaissance ledger. They were surveying spirit vein fluctuations... cross-referencing with ley line resonance..."
Elder Hei nodded. "Likely searching for a site. Maybe an anchor point."
"That confirms the rumors," Qing Shan muttered. "They’ve been hunting for leyline crossings—perhaps to install a spiritual pylon or link to this hidden altar they are searching for. If they anchor something near the caldera, and it reacts to volcanic qi... it could become a weapon, or worse, a spiritual intrusion point."
"This skeleton... this Magma Ancestor, we need to look into this too," Bai Zhen stated.
"Indeed. I’ve never heard of something like this. Perhaps we need to consult some ancient records," Qing Shan said. "Han Yu certainly went through an adventure to get all this," he added.
Mo Yunjian’s eyes darkened. "And yet the disciple returned early, defying his mission duration."
Elder Hei bowed again. "Yes, Patriarch. He claimed the urgency of the information warranted the violation. I questioned him closely. His story is consistent, but there are omissions. I suspect he left out pieces deliberately."
Bai Zhen scoffed. "So he’s clever. Or hiding something."
"Both," Elder Hei replied. "But I believe his omissions are self-serving, not malicious. The scrolls are intact. He hasn’t forged them. And he sought me out directly, bypassing lesser disciples—he knows the value of what he found."
Mo Yunjian fell silent, rubbing his thumb over a jade ring on his index finger.
"Han Yu... that’s the servant-turned-disciple from outer court, yes?"