All the signs were telling them in no uncertain terms that the Dark Emperor's tomb was highly possibly located beyond the Heaven's End Cliff, and all the members of the Twelve Palaces that had been mercilessly murdered and their families rooted out had actually mapped out the terrain at the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff.
Otherwise, with the overwhelming might of the Twelve Palaces, it was impossible that they were still unable to find the Dark Emperor's tomb if it had been anywhere else.
But if the place was completely filled with traps and covered completely in impenetrable fog, a complete and precise map would be needed to locate the place.
"Mu Qian Fan mentioned that some time ago, someone had seeked them out to entrust them with the mission to go investigate the situation below the Heaven's End Cliff. That would mean that those people could possibly hold a portion of the map. Were they from the Twelve Palaces or someone working for them? Or maybe, the person who seeked Mu Qian Fan out was the person in the Zephyr Academy who holds the map?" Fei Yan rubbed at his chin as his brow creased deep in thought.
"It should be one of the powers beholden to the Twelve Palaces here in the Lower Realm." Jun Wu Xie said resolutely, sounding very sure of herself.
"Why?" Fei Yan sat up surprised.
Jun Wu Xie replied: "The Twelve Palaces are still trying all ways and means to complete their collection of the maps, so that naturally means that they strongly suspect that the Dark Emperor's tomb is at the bottom of Heaven's End Cliff, and that they are aware of the vile conditions of the terrain down there, so they would not be so dumb as to get Mu Qian Fan and his band of brothers to go find out the precise location of the place. If my guess is correct, the Twelve Palaces are not entirely sure whether the Dark Emperor's tomb is at the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff and they are only guessing and hence, they have not made any significant and obvious moves towards the place. This recent expedition must have been the work of someone from one of the palaces, who managed to trace the clues to the Heaven's End Cliff and gave orders to their contracted powers here. Meanwhile, the person who received the orders was not willing to carry it out himself and entrusted the task to Mu Qian Fan and his band to scout out the place."
Jun Wu Xie thought a moment before she continued: "According to what Mu Qian Fan said, the person who entrusted him with the mission is made aware of the dangers below the Heaven's End Cliff now and I do not think he will be making any other moves in the near future."
The Heaven's End Cliff, was just a guess by the Twelve Palaces and they were not able to ascertain that fact for sure. Hence, they did not dare to pour all their strength into place filled with untold dangers.
Considering all that, people from the Twelve Palaces must have gone to the Heaven's End Cliff before this but the result might not have been much better than Mu Qian Fan and his brothers. Those rumours about the Heaven's End Cliff must have been spread by the Twelve Palaces themselves in order to draw people who did not know the truth to seek it by setting forth towards the Heaven's End Cliff, to provide them with more clues about the place.
"So, should we go take a look at the Heaven's End Cliff then?" Qiao Chu was feeling a little excited. If the Dark Emperor's tomb was really at the Heaven's End Cliff, even if they had to stay there for a decade, they would do it to find the Dark Emperor's tomb!
Hua Yao admonished gently: "You are looking at it too simply. If the Dark Emperor's tomb can be located so easily at the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff, then the Twelve Palaces would not be so anxious. Mu Qian Fan had said as well, that eleven of them had gone down to the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff and had stayed there for only two days, but had moved only a mere hundred meters into the place. Only one had come out alive from the eleven people and that should give you an idea of how dangerous the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff is. Without a complete map of the area, making your way into that place will only result in certain death."
He was not reluctant to go, but there were many other considerations to make.
If all of them were to die at the Heaven's End Cliff, there would be no one to exact revenge for the cruel injustice done upon their parents.
Qiao Chu quietened down. He knew what Hua Yao was saying was right.
Jun Wu Xie squeezed on Lord Meh Meh's little hoof and said with her eyes lowered: "We can go, not absolutely necessary to locate the Dark Emperor's tomb. Seeing for ourselves the actual situation in the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff beforehand might still be a good idea."