Chapter 225: Supporting Characters Can't Hide

"Holy Son Jiang Chen."

"Why do you give such weight to this Gu Ran, that you seem to harbor some concern?"

Jing Chengwang posed the question, 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.

"Be on guard 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 furnish 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?

"Excellent!"

"Aunt Ji, recall everyone who was deployed in search of Gu Ran!"

Jiang Chen motioned towards Ji Yilan, adding, "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?'

'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."

"All of you should cease the hunt for Gu Ran immediately, creating an impression that he has slipped from your minds!"

"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."

Jiang Chen shook his head as he delivered these instructions.

In the end, he would still have to play the central role.

The Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect, despite its substantial scale, was relegated to a supportive role.

"Understood."

With a grave countenance, Ji Yilan affirmed the instructions, "We will conduct the task efficiently this time!"

Instantly, Ji Yilan and her peers disseminated Jiang Chen's directives, ordering every cultivator engaged in the Gu Ran matter to adhere strictly.

Any deviators were to face immediate execution.

On Jing Chengwang's side, he handed over the necessary spiritual plants to Jiang Chen.

In total, there were two Dao Palace realm spiritual plants and over seventy Dao Comprehension realm spiritual plants, which already strained the resources of the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect to the maximum.

Without any reluctance, Jiang Chen accepted the spiritual plants, intending to keep them as his hidden advantage and not to utilize them for now.

At this juncture, Ji Yilan furnished detailed information about Gu Ran, including his life experiences and social networks.

Upon perusal, Jiang Chen found it striking that Gu Ran scarcely had any friends.

Since his induction into the sect, Gu Ran had always been dedicated to solitary cultivation, seldom stepping out - he was an epitome of an extreme homebody!

The people most acquainted with Gu Ran turned out to be Jing Miaoyao and others who had duped him for his bloodline through their sham.

'I wonder if tools like Aura Finder Smoke would be of any assistance.'

Jiang Chen mused inwardly, then questioned Ji Yilan and the rest, "Has anyone among you employed any treasures capable of tracking Gu Ran's location via his aura?"

"Well, the subordinates who were summoned back earlier reported that they've tried comparable methods."

"One cultivator in the Inquiring Journey realm even utilized a magic treasure specifically for tracing, but they failed to ascertain even the direction of Gu Ran, let alone his precise location."

"..."

Ji Yilan expressed this with a serious countenance.

By now, she somewhat grasped why Jiang Chen seemed slightly apprehensive about Gu Ran.

The Gu Ran they were dealing with currently was not the same individual Ji Yilan remembered. An uncanny transformation had taken place!

The fact that Jiang Chen could perceive this merely by hearing about Gu Ran from tens of millions - perhaps hundreds of millions - of miles away seemed unfathomable to Ji Yilan.

"Even tracking treasures can't pinpoint him?"

Jiang Chen stroked his chin contemplatively.

He could expend his remaining fifteen thousand Villain Value points to obtain a top-tier tracing artifact, and evaluate it himself.

However, the chances of reaching the same conclusion as the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect were quite substantial.

In such circumstances, it would be imprudent to squander his valuable Villain Value points.

Not to mention, the resources accessible to the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect were certainly not trifling.

It could only be concluded that Gu Ran's capacity to remain concealed was truly remarkable.

In that case, they would have to discern Gu Ran's whereabouts through other means!

What other means, exactly? The supporting characters!

While Gu Ran could cloak himself, his supporting characters could not!

The exceptional prowess of the Villain's Eye came into full play at this juncture!

"Everyone should now pay meticulous attention to any peculiarities in their vicinity."

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!"

"Be assured, Holy Son Jiang Chen!"

Ji Yilan, Jing Chengwang, and others 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.

'Indeed, Gu Ran needs to evolve.'

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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