The position of the Little Freedom Official in the White Jade Capital is second only to the three members of the Three Elders Pavilion: Ancestor Qing, Great Freedom Official, and Great Leisurely Official.

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan was pale-faced, unable to understand how Fu Manman, not even fifty years old, could have already become the Little Freedom Official. Compared to her, he was now over three thousand years old yet could only serve as a repressed Mountain Master in Tuo Mountain of Taiping Continent.

Fu Manman asked, "May I intervene in this matter now?"

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan forced a smile, "I dare not oppose the Little Freedom Official."

Fu Manman looked at Gu Lan and smiled slightly, "Leave the rest to me. The Daoist School will not allow Gu Feng Immortal to suffer grievances for no reason."

Gu Lan gave a sweet smile and exhaled a breath of relief.

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan suddenly thought of something.

Fu Manman is from Little South Continent, and Gu Lan is also from Little South Continent. They... are both disciples of the Eternal Immortal Sect. He realized it suddenly, no wonder, no wonder! But it was too late for regrets at this point.

Under Fu Manman’s questioning, Celestial Venerable Hongxuan told the whole story without daring to hide a thing.

A year and a half ago, due to ineffective supervision by Tuo Mountain, a flying ship route transporting enlisted warriors to Fallen Immortal Land was invaded by a Demon Cultivator, polluting the route and causing three hundred and seventy-two people to be infected with Demonic Qi, damaging their cultivation, Dao and souls.

Tuo Mountain urgently requisitioned a batch of materials from He Yue Village, which were meant to be sent to the front lines, to refine pills to heal these three hundred and seventy-two people.

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan, who should have reported the incident immediately, chose to cover it up. The reason was not complicated; the whole thing was a Tuo Mountain issue from start to finish, and it was bound to come out if investigated. Celestial Venerable Hongxuan did not want to bear this responsibility because his millennium tenure as Mountain Master at Tuo Mountain was about to end, and without any surprises, he could be transferred to the Twelve Northern Continents.

But with this incident, if it was blamed on him, forget being transferred to the Twelve Northern Continents, he would be lucky not to be exiled to the Demon Continent to deal with the Demon Race.

Therefore, he chose to cover it up. But requisitioning materials required an explanation. After much thought, he decided to shift the blame to He Yue Village, so he only took the spiritual essence from the materials, leaving the material body behind.

After listening, Fu Manman rebuked, "Absurd! I thought it was something unspeakable, but it’s because of the chaos caused by a Demon Cultivator! Celestial Venerable Hongxuan, don’t you understand? If you had reported the matter as it was to the White Jade Capital, they wouldn’t have punished you! They would have focused on the Demon Cultivator matter! Now that the Fallen Immortal Land has erupted, what the White Jade Capital worries about the most is the Demon Cultivators taking the opportunity to wreak havoc! You not only failed to realize this but chose to conceal it instead!"

She furrowed her brow, "A Demon Cultivator invading a flying ship route, such a serious and urgent matter, you actually didn’t report it to the White Jade Capital immediately and delayed it for a full year and a half! Do you know how much damage this year and a half could cause to Taiping Continent?"

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan just then realized the situation’s gravity, his face turning pale.

He found himself to be gravely mistaken, absurdly wrong, beyond ridiculous! His concern over his successful transfer to the Twelve Northern Continents was so great that it consumed him, causing him to overlook the truly crucial issue.

He bowed with shame and said, "The responsibility for this matter is entirely mine."

Fu Manman asked with a furrowed brow, "I ask you, why do you care so much about being smoothly transferred?"

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan smiled bitterly, "After achieving Tribulation Immortal, the White Jade Capital assigned me to serve as Mountain Master of Tuo Mountain. At first, I was full of ambition, vowing to reverse the decline of Taiping Continent. In rectifying those forces that abused their power, I offended a Mahayana Realm cultivator. Unfortunately, this person turned out to be a descendant of a Terminal Daoist power, and even more unluckily, that Terminal Daoist controlled the Dao I follow. That Terminal Daoist secretly hindered me on my Dao journey, causing me to struggle over the millennia. I only hope to be transferred to the Northern Celestial Land, to seek another way, change my path."

Fu Manman suddenly paused, "A Terminal Daoist, yet another Terminal Daoist..."

After carefully sensing Celestial Venerable Hongxuan’s Dao, she found it to be true. His Dao was the Thunder Shock Dao, and the Terminal Daoist of the Thunder Shock Dao was the Thunderous Celestial Venerable of the Immortal Continent Thunder Shock Sect.

Fu Manman immediately lost her temper. She sighed, "Why didn’t you tell White Jade Capital about this?"

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan shook his head, "This is my own problem."

"Why do you think so?" Fu Manman asked.

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan, somewhat puzzled, replied, "Offending a Terminal Daoist, and that Terminal Daoist just happens to control my Dao, it’s just my misfortune."

Fu Manman had nothing to say. She realized that it was taken for granted in this world for Terminal Daoists to hold such privileges.

She sighed, "The most important thing now is the Demon Cultivator invasion of the flight path. Let’s go over there and take a look. As for your culpability, I will report it to the White Jade Capital as it is, it’s my duty."

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan smiled bitterly, "Of course."

"When I go to the Immortal Continent for patrolling, I’ll ask that Thunderous Celestial Venerable what exactly is the reason for this."

Celestial Venerable Hongxuan quickly said, "I dare not trouble the Little Freedom Official."

Fu Manman shook her head, "This has nothing to do with the Little Freedom Official, you needn’t worry about the misuse of private power. Consider it my personal action."

"But, why?" Celestial Venerable Hongxuan was puzzled; he had just been reprimanded, yet now she wants to help solve his problem?

Fu Manman pursed her brows, "Just consider it as me not liking that Thunderous Celestial Venerable."

"Uh..." Celestial Venerable Hongxuan didn’t know what to say, "Thank you, Little Freedom Official."

After Gu Lan learned the course of events, although dissatisfied with Celestial Venerable Hongxuan’s attempt to shift the blame to her, her generous nature meant she didn’t hold much against it, since he would face the corresponding punishment anyway.