"Thanks, I'll definitely attend when the time comes. But before that, I've got some things to handle." Yang Han smiled.
"Alright, then I'll wait for you." The Old Beggar sighed helplessly, knowing it was impossible to persuade Yang Han to change his mind.
Yang Han smiled again, thanked him once more, and then left. After Yang Han departed, the Old Beggar muttered to himself, "That thing absolutely can't fall into the hands of the Alchemy Eccentric Immortal. Otherwise, I'd have failed the Tu Clan."
Yang Han had no idea about the Tu Clan's ancestral treasure. Right now, his focus was on watching the Fenn Family and the Three Palaces to see if they made any moves or if there were any new rumors. After all, with the map news spreading, anyone holding a fragment would definitely act soon.
"Where should I go?" Yang Han muttered. He knew the Fenn Family had a Pseudo-Immortal, so he couldn't just walk in. As for the Three Palaces, he'd already been to Hundred-Bloom Palace, but wasn't familiar with Ninefold Palace or Heaven-Mystic Palace.
For the moment, Yang Han wasn't sure where to start, so he went into the city to check things out and listen for rumors. After sitting for about an hour, he got a rough sense of the current situation: the Three Palaces and several major clans were already focusing their investigations on that person.
That person was Elder Liu, whom Yang Han had impersonated. Since Elder Liu's current body belonged to someone else, no matter how they investigated, they wouldn't find anything. So Yang Han decided to stir things up a bit.
His plan was to figure out who was interested in the map, and who actually owned a fragment.
"Anyway, there's still some time before the alchemy duel. Might as well stir things up first." Yang Han thought to himself. He knew it would be hard to tell who actually had the map, but he wanted to shake things up and make everyone more active.
So he left, picked a fifth-class planet, and found a spot to start working.
Meanwhile, the Alchemy Eccentric Immortal was roaring in rage; the medicine boy could only speak but was completely immobilized.
"You said he called himself my half-disciple?" The Alchemy Eccentric Immortal was furious after finding his 'treasure vault' completely emptied.
The medicine boy, terrified, could only speak but not move. "Yes, that's what he said. He also said he was just collecting interest."
"Damn it, useless! Who is this person, and since when does he have a disciple?" The Alchemy Eccentric Immortal couldn't believe it. Before Yang Han stole the vault, he hadn't realized the Eccentric Immortal's cultivation had already surpassed the Pseudo-Immortal Stage. If he'd known, he wouldn't have been so bold as to lure the beast away and sneak in. Who knew if the Eccentric Immortal was actually inside?
As for the beast outside, it was repeatedly ordered by the Alchemy Eccentric Immortal, who demanded it describe the thief's appearance. But that appearance was just Yang Han's random disguise, so even if they searched, they'd never find anyone matching it.
So the Alchemy Eccentric Immortal issued a series of bizarre orders to the Alchemy Saint Hand, who then passed them down to others, searching for the culprit. But with someone like this, how could they possibly find him? Even if everyone at Sacred Mountain helped, they'd get nowhere.
Yang Han never expected that his little stunt would infuriate the Alchemy Eccentric Immortal so much, to the point of mobilizing all of Sacred Mountain's hidden strength. Those gathered at Sacred Mountain found it strange to see group after group leaving, thinking something big must have happened.
The Old Beggar, upon hearing the news, also showed a strange expression.
Just as Sacred Mountain began searching everywhere for the thief, another even more shocking rumor broke out: the map holder was currently in seclusion on a certain planet.
No one knew where the rumor came from, but it even included an image: a person quietly cultivating in one spot. When the Fenn Patriarch and the Three Palaces saw the portrait, they were shocked—because it was the very person the Fenn Family had been chasing, the one who mastered the Tyrant Seal Art.
But they couldn't be sure, since the person might be disguised. Still, they'd rather check it out than miss the opportunity.
So that unknown fifth-class planet attracted a crowd of powerful cultivators—even some hidden experts came out, wanting to see for themselves.
Yang Han had already slipped away, changing his appearance again. Outside his original location, formations filled the area, and the newcomers frowned at the sight.
"Brother Fenn, you're here too?" The Ninefold Palace Lord greeted with a smile.
"Yeah, I heard that person was here, so I came to take a look. But what's with all these formations?" The Fenn Patriarch frowned.
"That's simple enough. Let's all go in together. As long as it's not an Immortal Formation, we can break any other formation easily." said the Ninefold Palace Lord.
The Fenn Patriarch nodded. Except for Immortal Formations, all lesser arrays were useless to him. So after a quick discussion, everyone entered.
Besides the Fenn Family group, many hidden experts also entered. Every so often, another person slipped inside.
Within about fifteen minutes, more than a dozen people had gone in. Yang Han, counting from a corner of the planet, smiled, "Go on, go on—enjoy yourselves inside, and try my Wine Formation while you're at it."
The first to enter were the Fenn Patriarch and his group. They immediately noticed something odd: there was a lake ahead, and waves of wine aroma wafted from it.
"How is this lake water just like wine?" someone exclaimed, walking over, crouching down, and dipping a finger in before tasting it.
The others watched as he broke into a delighted grin and laughed, "Amazing wine! I have to take some back!" He immediately pulled out a container and started filling it up.
His exaggerated reaction drew the Fenn Patriarch and others over to try it themselves. They found the liquid really was wine—and better than any they'd ever tasted.
"Strange, how is this wine so good?" the Fenn Patriarch muttered.
The rest were intrigued, but the true wine lovers just kept collecting, afraid the wine would disappear.
"Brother Fenn, what do you think is going on here?" The Ninefold Palace Lord asked, focusing on the Fenn Patriarch.
"It's not an illusion array—it's real." The Fenn Patriarch took another drink and was certain it wasn't fake.
Everyone tasted it themselves—it wasn't a mirage. But how could such a huge lake be filled with wine? No one understood.
They pondered for a while, until one person who'd drunk too much finally reacted—bursting into wild laughter and babbling nonsense.
He even started cursing in front of the Fenn Patriarch and the other big shots, pointing at the Fenn Patriarch, "You think being at the Pseudo-Immortal Stage is so great? Ninefold Palace has Pseudo-Immortals too! Ha!"
Everyone was shocked. The Ninefold Palace Lord, both startled and angry, snapped, "What are you saying?" and promptly knocked him out.
The crowd exchanged glances, hardly believing that wine could make a master at the Peak Shadow Tribulation Realm act like this—especially since he was brought by the Ninefold Palace Lord.
The Fenn Patriarch's expression soured—being insulted to his face like that was hardly pleasant.
The Ninefold Palace Lord hurried to explain, "Brother Fenn, don't mind him—he's just babbling nonsense."
"I know, but you have Pseudo-Immortals in Ninefold Palace? Seems you have plenty of hidden strength." The Fenn Patriarch sneered.
That made the Ninefold Palace Lord feel awkward, while the other palace and clan members quietly snickered—serves you right for bringing such a subordinate.
But just as they finished laughing, their own people started cursing too, hurling insults at the big shots and revealing palace secrets.
Some even got physical and blurted out things no one dared believe. If they hadn't been stopped in time, who knows what might have happened.
Looking at the people now sprawled on the ground, every palace and clan had someone affected, and the things they'd just said lingered in everyone's minds.
Now everyone finally realized that all three palaces had Pseudo-Immortals behind them. Even more shocking, someone revealed the matter of the Immortal Realm map—making the atmosphere awkward.
Even the hidden experts in the background noticed something was wrong.
"Damn it," cursed the Ninefold Palace Lord, seeing the current situation.
"Talking about this now won't help. Clearly, there's something wrong with this wine—anyone below the Tribulation Stage will be confused by it," said the Fenn Patriarch.
"So what do we do now?" the Ninefold Palace Lord asked, holding back his anger.
"Looks like this was prepared just for us," the Fenn Patriarch suddenly remarked.
"What do you mean, Brother Fenn?" asked the Ninefold Palace Lord, curious.
"Didn't you notice that most of what those people said revolved around the map?" The Fenn Patriarch pointed out the lingering doubt in everyone's minds.
Now they finally understood why the person appeared here—it was a trap, luring everyone in and making them reveal things they shouldn't.
Even Yang Han hadn't expected his subordinates to know so much, or to reveal things that surprised him. With a strange smile, he said, "So there are six pieces to the map: the Fenn Patriarch has one, the Three Palaces have two, and I have one—so where are the other two?"
"That guy is too cunning. Let's get out of here," said the Ninefold Palace Lord.
"Don't rush. Since he lured us here and got what he wanted, we can't let him off so easily. Let's search—maybe he's hiding in the formation," said the Fenn Patriarch.
Everyone was furious—their secrets had been exposed, and the Three Palaces had lost face.
The Fenn Patriarch was glad he hadn't brought his own people—otherwise, who knows what might have happened.
So the group began searching, unaware that more people had arrived outside. Ten meters away, everything was an illusion—meaning someone could suddenly appear from just ten meters away.
When they saw strangers in the area, they assumed it was the enemy's helper and tried to capture them. But the newcomers were strong, so they sought out the Fenn Patriarch.
The Fenn Patriarch hurried over and paused when he saw the stranger. "Who are you?"
"Didn't expect to meet the Fenn Patriarch—pleased to meet you. I'm an independent cultivator, just here to look around. No need to be nervous." The stranger knew the Fenn Patriarch was powerful, so he explained directly instead of fighting.