Jing Chengwang spoke, "Holy Son Jiang Chen."
"Why do you give such weight to this Gu Ran, that you seem to harbor some concern?" he asked, sensing a touch of unease from Jiang Chen towards Gu Ran.
Jiang Chen had even brought down a Transcendence realm great powerhouse before, so how could he possibly feel any unease towards a seemingly insignificant figure in the Mysterious Platform realm?
"All you need to comprehend is that we should remain highly vigilant against Gu Ran." Jiang Chen responded, shaking his head. He certainly couldn't unveil his villainous status or Gu Ran's role as the protagonist.
"Remain highly vigilant against Gu Ran?" Zhu Zhihai pondered, his gaze immersed in contemplation, then abruptly exclaimed, "Could it be possible, he is linked with the Demon Race!?"
"You may construe it in that manner if you wish," Jiang Chen affirmed with a nod.
In truth, for the denizens of the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect, Gu Ran was comparable to a grim reaper reaping lives, presenting a danger far beyond that posed by the Demon Race.
"So, Holy Son Jiang Chen, what's your subsequent course of action?" Jing Chengwang queried, appending, "Our Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect will provide you with our fullest cooperation!"
"Full cooperation? That's precisely the response I was anticipating." Jiang Chen retorted with a smile, "Promptly provide me with comprehensive information regarding Gu Ran and collect all the Dao Comprehension realm and Dao Palace realm spiritual plants within the sect for me!"
"Understood, we'll commence it without delay!" Jing Chengwang concurred readily.
To attach oneself to a powerhouse, to align with Jiang Chen's rising tide, who wouldn't have to foot a certain price?
Jiang Chen exclaimed, "Excellent!"
Turning to Ji Yilan, he instructed, "Aunt Ji, recall everyone who was deployed in search of Gu Ran!" He then added, "Ensure you account for any casualties."
"Yes!" Ji Yilan dared not allow Jiang Chen's casual form of address to muddy her discernment. She preserved an element of reverence.
Next, Sect Master Jing Chengwang, along with the two Supreme Elders, Le Zhengren and Zhu Zhihai, set the whole Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect into motion to amass all the spiritual plants of the Dao Comprehension realm and the Dao Palace realm in their possession.
Simultaneously, Ji Yilan commanded all those who had been dispatched in search of Gu Ran to return.
Yet, the absence of casualties somewhat startled Jiang Chen - no one was harmed or missing, purely because no one had crossed paths with Gu Ran.
'None of the minor characters sent after the protagonist perished?' he pondered internally.
'Isn't it a norm for a protagonist to annihilate one if one approaches, vanquish a duo if a duo appears, and obliterate a crowd if a crowd surfaces?'
'Gu Ran didn't execute anyone?' Jiang Chen's brows twitched slightly, his face revealing an element of surprise.
It seemed either the minor characters were simply incapable of locating Gu Ran, thus avoiding any face-off, or Gu Ran was consciously exercising restraint!
Regardless, the situation was far from satisfactory.
"Holy Son Jiang Chen, should I embark now to trace Gu Ran's location?" Ji Yilan inquired respectfully.
"There's no need," Jiang Chen said, shaking his head.
He continued, issuing new directives, "All of you should cease the hunt for Gu Ran immediately, creating an impression that he has slipped from your minds!"
Then, with an added emphasis, he instructed, "Subtly, gather as much information as possible about dubious individuals and unusual occurrences in the major cities, and supervise all transportation arrays with utmost diligence."
In the end, he would still have to play the central role.
Jiang Chen rose to his feet, his expression serene, "Even the slightest sign of deviation should be taken note of. Remember my instructions well."
"Understood!" Ji Yilan affirmed.
"Be assured, Holy Son Jiang Chen!" Jing Chengwang added.
The others present also nodded in concurrence.
Subsequently, the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect organized a suitable lodging for Jiang Chen and Liu Xiong.
Standing in the courtyard of his new abode, Jiang Chen shut his eyes, and with his divine sense, he scanned the surrounding oceanic expanses and islands within a radius of a million kilometers.
However, Gu Ran was nowhere to be detected. This did not take him aback.
Next, Jiang Chen began to utilize the Villain's Eye to scrutinize the individuals within his purview, in quest of the supporting characters.
Upon inspection, he discovered that a considerable number of members in the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect had turned into supporting characters - at least half, to be exact!
Consequently, Jiang Chen started assessing the specific Fate Value of these supporting characters, aiming to estimate their lifespan.
Among these characters, the vast majority held nearly identical values, suggesting their time of demise was likely to coincide.
The chances were high that the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect had borne the brunt of Gu Ran's massacre!
He then shifted his focus to the small portion of supporting characters with even lower Fate Values.
The lowest among them hovered around six hundred points, indicating they could survive for at least a month.
'That's to be expected, after all, Gu Ran still needs time to improve.' Jiang Chen contemplated, as he started to broaden his observational field towards the outskirts.
The Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect was situated in an expansive ocean, with most of the area desolate.
The further one drifted from the sect, the fewer islands they encountered.
In terms of population density, it was substantially lesser than the Everflowing Truth Domain.
Fortunately, Jiang Chen's divine sense covered a million kilometers in radius.
It was incredibly potent and managed to spot some supporting characters on an island of moderate size.
These supporting characters possessed extremely low Fate Values - a vivid signal that their demise was imminent.
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