The black-faced Daoist said nothing, merely shook his sleeve and moved swiftly, drifting straight toward the main gate. He seemed utterly familiar with everything within this hall. After passing through a vast hall and traversing several corridors stretching over a hundred zhang, his vision suddenly cleared, revealing a quiet courtyard before him. The courtyard was filled with lush, vibrant plants, many of which bore giant flowers the size of sea bowls. Standing at the entrance were two court-dressed women draped in silken white scarves. Their skin was as smooth and pure as jade, their postures graceful and elegant, exuding a subtle, profound aura. "Greetings, both noble immortals," the black-faced Daoist said, bowing respectfully as he approached. "I have come especially to pay my respects to the Palace Master." "Master Li," one of the women gracefully sidestepped the bow, smiling gently. "We are not worthy to receive your courtesy. Please enter—our Palace Master has been awaiting you for some time." "Heh, the lady is being too kind. Then I shall go in and pay my respects to the Grand Mistress." The dark-faced Taoist replied with a smile, bowing to the two women in imperial robes before stepping into the courtyard. "The black-faced Daoist replied with a composed dignity. 'You're rather timid, aren't you? Nevertheless, with those inspectors constantly around, we masters of the immortal palaces find ourselves constrained—always on the move, always hesitant. It's far more comfortable to stay within the observatory itself. Why don't I step down from this post and recommend your junior, my nephew, to take over instead?' The woman finally lifted her delicate gaze, her face remarkably pale, her dark eyebrows extending straight to her hairline, exuding an unspoken sense of authority. 'Ah, Palace Master, how could my senior, the patriarch, agree to such a proposal? Though the territory of our Jinhan Immortal Palace may be modest within the entire realm of immortals, it remains the face of our Jiuyuan Observatory in the realm. The countless immortal subjects under our jurisdiction—how could someone of such modest magical prowess as your junior possibly serve as a palace master?' The black-faced Daoist shook his head repeatedly. 'Hmph. You, this smooth-talking little one, are quite eloquent.'" Your master and the other senior masters—none of whom possesses a power surpassing mine—have never stepped forward to assume the role of Grand Master of this Golden Han Immortal Palace. I only entered the lineage under your senior master's guidance several decades later. Yet here I have remained for over ten thousand years. Isn't it time for a change? The woman sneered. Especially your master—when I used to see him in my time as head of the administration, he would always manage to retreat as far as possible, never daring to come within a few dozen paces. The purple-robed woman seemed to recall something unpleasant, her teeth slightly clenched as she received the news. The black-faced Daoist could only shake his head with a wry smile. As for this young junior disciple, even when he encountered his own master, he appeared visibly startled, barely able to speak more than a few words. "By the way, today is not the day for the palace council meeting. What urgent matter have you come to discuss with me? Just now, through the celestial mirror, I observed that even if the guards at the gate had not allowed you to pass, you seemed determined to force your way through." The purple-robed woman suddenly smiled, recalling the true purpose of the black-faced Daoist's visit. "Your Majesty, I have come to deliver the matter that the Grand Master personally entrusted to me last time." The black-faced Daoist straightened his expression and slightly lowered his voice. "What? It's about that matter." Wait a moment—let us speak within my spiritual realm.” The previously languid expression of the purple-robed woman instantly changed upon hearing the black-faced Daoist’s words. As soon as she spoke, she raised one finger and swept it through the air. Instantly, a white trace appeared, then rippled and surged. The trace curled and then unfolded into scattered beams of white light. Where the light passed through the surrounding space, the scenery suddenly transformed—every scene became a refined, elegant hall, complete with full sets of tables and chairs, and two rows of graceful, dressed attendants standing quietly on either side. The black-faced Daoist glanced at the motionless attendants and was visibly moved: “It’s remarkable that a practitioner of the third stage, the ‘Spiritual Realm’ level—‘Transcendent Spirit’—can now manifest domain spirits. Though these domain spirits currently appear to have modest cultivation and intelligence, with careful nurturing, they will surely become a great asset in the future.” "My senior, I only recently achieved the Elucidation Realm, elevating my Spiritual Domain from the 'Creation Mirror' stage. That's why I'm eager to return to the Monastery to solidify my Spiritual Domain. Of course, if my senior could step out and personally guide me, that would be even better. Niece, please sit. Within my Spiritual Domain, even the Monitoring Immortal's Monitoring Divine Instruments cannot easily penetrate. Now, kindly explain that matter to me thoroughly." The purple-robed woman smiled calmly, seating herself without haste in the chair at the center of the hall. "As for you, niece, you may take your seat." The dark-faced Daoist, equally unceremonious, found a chair beneath and settled down. "I recall that matter—you've been handling it for several hundred years, haven't you? Now, has there been a resolution?" the woman asked slowly, her tone now carrying a touch of seriousness. "Over the past several centuries, my junior disciple has employed countless methods, ultimately having to pay a great price—only through the aid of a friend's rare treasure—was able to trace the faintest traces of that person's whereabouts." The black-robed Taoist replied solemnly. "As long as we can finally locate that person, the cost, no matter how great, will be well worth it. That person once carried the item with them and vanished completely from our Nine Yuan Monastery. Though he still holds his own life essence tablet, it seems that some extraordinary treasure or secret technique has obscured his presence, making it impossible to sense his life or death. Even my own master, the esteemed elder, who broke protocol to personally step out and pursue this matter, was blocked by several other highly capable individuals and ultimately returned empty-handed. It wasn't until several centuries ago, when you reported that your life essence tablet had responded again—this time with a notably concerning situation—that the Master specifically assigned this matter to you for handling." "If this traitor perishes, it will indeed be a great loss, yet the item he stole back then is deeply tied to the rise and fall of our Jiuyuan Temple—something we must absolutely recover." By the time the woman finished speaking, a quiet authority had settled upon her face. The black-faced Daoist, struck by this demeanor, immediately rose, nodded in agreement, and bowed slightly before continuing, "Uncle, there's no need to worry excessively. Though the traitor's true essence tablet shows cracks, he appears to be stable for now—likely trapped somewhere. The only challenge lies in the findings of my nephew's investigation. It seems the traitor is no longer in the Immortal Realm, but has settled somewhere in the Lower Realms." "The Lower Realms! In which of the minor spiritual realms? That shouldn't be difficult—once we know his precise location, we can simply expend a few spiritual stones and activate the Descending Immortals Platform to send a message. Is it one of the lost realm groups he has escaped to?" The purple-robed woman was initially surprised, but then remembered something. "Master's guess is correct—the traitor indeed has fled to one of the smaller spiritual realms within the lost group of southern realms. We have yet to pinpoint exactly which one, though with a little more time, we will be able to confirm it. However, since the great upheaval many years ago, the hundreds of smaller spiritual realms in that southern realm group have already slipped out of our仙 realm's grasp. We still haven't managed to recover their precise coordinates, and thus the Dharma Platform is completely unable to transmit to them." The black-faced Taoist spoke with a look of deep concern. "This truly presents a challenging situation. Since the southern realm group shifted its coordinates, and now unable to rely on our仙 realm's support, not only have our仙 realm inhabitants been unable to reach those realms, but it has also become increasingly difficult for beings from within those realms to ascend to our仙 realm." Over the years, every single mortal from our true immortal realm who has successfully ascended to the upper realms from among the lost interface worlds has been an exceptionally talented and immensely promising individual—absolutely not to be underestimated. The purple-robed woman narrowed her eyes, and only after a pause did she speak. "Of course I know this. Our renowned Tian Shu Immortal King himself ascended from one of the lost interface worlds. Within just a hundred thousand years, he has established such an illustrious reputation and even now serves directly under the Guangfa Emperor of our realm." The black-faced Taoist spoke with a hint of admiration. "Well then, regardless of how remarkable these ascended individuals from the lost interfaces may be, without precise coordinates, it would generally be impossible to reach them in the lower realms using conventional means. We'd have to visit our senior ancestor and see what methods he might have. Given the current state of that traitor, even just a few people from the lower realm would be sufficient to secure his capture. Nevertheless, I do have a few questions. "How did that traitor manage to escape and reach these lost interfaces?" the woman in purple mused for a while, then said, her eyes flashing with cold resolve.