Chapter 495: Liu Shiqian's Troubles

"Huff... huff..."

Within the great hall wreathed in white mist, only the sound of heavy breathing remained.

Ke Shisan's Town Stone darted out from Shen Yi's brow, dropped to the ground on its knees, arms bracing its body, shoulders trembling, as if its very soul had been stripped away.

It was still lost in the memory of that ink-black robe, and that pale, jade-like palm, which had appeared in its vision after it parted the star-strewn sky.

Only those who had truly experienced it would understand.

Struggling desperately within the perfected Tianyan Sijiu, it had finally glimpsed a chance of life—only to behold true, overwhelming terror at the end of that path.

That sense of hopeless despair washed over one like a vast tide, drowning everything.

"..."

The Flesh-Winged Silkworm stole a glance at this dragon's grandson, swallowed hard, and suddenly felt rather grateful that its own brain wasn't very sharp.

Shen Yi gave Ke Shisan ample time to recover—there were still many uses he had for the creature.

Besides, such an extended process of deduction truly could drive a person to the brink of madness.

He began to gather demon-origin essence, reshaping the demon soul of that Crimson Blood Xuan Feng.

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 1,663,000 years】

In truth, reshaping the Xuan Feng's soul was something of a losing bargain.

After all, there was already a Xuan Feng Town Stone within the Dao Palace.

But after seeing Su Hongxiu's wretched state, Shen Yi couldn't shake the feeling that a powerful body was still quite useful. After all, the world held so many strange methods—who knew when he himself might be unable to summon his Dao Palace or move his spiritual energy? Having an extra trump card was always a good thing.

As eleven strands of demon-origin essence poured into the demon soul.

The regal, noble lady stood once more before Shen Yi, still as graceful and elegant as ever, though now a touch of timidity had crept onto her face, making her seem all the more pitifully charming.

"Xuan Feng greets my lord." She bowed carefully, this time even omitting the gesture of tugging at her clothes.

Shen Yi gave a slight nod of his chin, but did not rush to deduce a technique. Instead, he glanced to the side and said: "The matter of ambushing the Dao Child—was that your own idea, or were you acting on someone's orders within the sect?"

If it was the latter, it meant someone within the Heaven Sword Sect could no longer hold back, and might even be after their own Dao Child's Dao-Integration treasure land.

And since he himself possessed a juicy morsel like the General Nanyang treasure land, he was surely being watched as well—he'd need to be on his guard.

"This matter has nothing to do with the Dao-Integration treasure land. It was simply Xuan Feng acting on impulse, wanting to take revenge on the Heaven Sword Sect."

After enduring the torment of the demon-origin essence, Xuan Feng looked considerably more subdued.

Having said this, she paused as if remembering something: "If my lord has concerns, then within the Heaven Sword Sect, the one who bears the greatest malice toward you must be Elder Liu Xingshan. His strength is formidable, his seniority immense. If the Heaven Sword Dao Child hadn't been so astonishingly talented—and so resolute—seizing the moment when his reincarnation reached perfection to strike him down heavily, I'm not sure he could have been intimidated back then."

An elder who wouldn't even submit to his own Dao Child—how could he possibly submit to a young "Shen Zongzhu" of the General Nanyang Sect?

"Understood."

Shen Yi committed the name to memory, then reached out and recalled Xuan Feng into the panel as well.

The next moment, vast torrents of demon lifespan surged once more into the Tian Huang Indestructible True Body.

Ever since he'd been able to come and go from the Scripture Pavilion as he pleased, it had been a long time since Shen Yi had attempted to forcibly deduce a technique; for a moment, he wasn't quite used to it.

【Year One: You gazed upon this true Xuan Feng, and showed her the Tian Huang dwelling between the five organs of your Dao Infant...】

"Phew."

Watching Shen Yi close his eyes once more, Ke Shisan finally let out a long sigh of relief.

But upon noticing his master's pallid, almost sickly complexion, the dread in its heart inexplicably deepened.

One had to remember that during the earlier deduction of Tianyan Sijiu, it wasn't just itself being tormented—its master hadn't been idle either.

And now he was entering that illusionary realm again without the slightest hesitation.

Moreover, during the last deduction, his master had still been dry-heaving, his body convulsing. Yet now he had apparently grown accustomed to sitting in stillness through those endless ages—wasn't that a kind of talent in itself?

"Sigh."

Thinking of this, Ke Shisan slowly rose to its feet and sighed. Better not harbor any false hopes—once the Xuan Feng's deduction was finished, it would most likely have to go back in and serve its sentence.

Beyond the wooden door, wreathed in white mist.

The ink-robed youth sat in stillness, two Town Stones flanking him on either side. In the quiet room, only an old man with hair and beard gone entirely white ceaselessly repeated the name Xuan Qing.

Upon the General Nanyang relief carving.

One figure after another darted out from within the sect, all wearing Qingyue robes.

"Ah! Honored seniors, what's happened?" Li Qingfeng hurried out after them, forcing a smile: "You're leaving in such a rush, I didn't even have time to see you off."

Although the General Nanyang Sect now boasted quite a few powerful experts—including even late-stage Return-to-Void cultivators, such as the patron of the Shuiyueshang Alliance—

When it came to expounding the Dao and transmitting teachings, the seniors of the Qingyue Sect were still far more capable.

After all, disciples of a Xian Sect and the wild cultivators outside were simply two entirely different things.

Li Qingfeng couldn't fathom where he had offended these people. After sending him a brief message, they were in such a hurry to leave—could it be that they'd had some conflict with the General Nanyang Sect's stewards?

Setting aside the matter of transmitting teachings, the Shen Zongzhu didn't bother with affairs, and he himself wouldn't dare to make enemies of the Qingyue Sect on the General Nanyang Sect's behalf.

"Young Friend Qingfeng, you've misunderstood."

The Qingyue Sect stewards seemed to read his thoughts. Several of them forced bitter smiles and waved their hands: "It's not what you think. It's just that something has come up in our sect—we urgently need manpower, and I'm afraid we won't be able to assist your sect for the time being."

"Oh? What major matter could give even the Qingyue Sect such a headache?" Li Qingfeng's expression shifted slightly.

The Seven Sons Assembly was imminent; he didn't want to hear any news that might affect the Shen Zongzhu.

"It's not quite that serious, and it doesn't concern the Qingyue Sect much." Several of them cupped their fists in farewell, briefly explaining: "It's the vassal forces under our elder's jurisdiction—problems have been cropping up frequently lately. It seems some great demon has set its sights on them. Once the matter is resolved, we'll return to expound the teachings."

Hearing this, Li Qingfeng had no reason to detain them further, and could only watch helplessly as they summoned their Qingyue treasure ship and departed.

Given his intensely curious nature, he had naturally long since made inquiries.

These stewards and outer-elder disciples all belonged to Elder Liu Shiqian, who had been quite kind to the General Nanyang Sect.

But unfortunately, the General Nanyang Sect was now in no position to help itself, let alone offer any real assistance. He could only hope the other party would resolve their trouble smoothly.

Thinking of this, Li Qingfeng shook his head and returned to the General Nanyang treasure land.

At the same time, that Clear Moon treasure ship raced back to the Qingyue Sect at top speed.

Several stewards and outer-gate elders hurried through the light barrier back to the inner gate, intending to head straight for the bamboo tower to find Elder Liu, but they received a transmission and turned to streak toward the Elders' Hall instead.

"It looks more serious than we imagined."

They exchanged a quiet glance, a vague unease stirring in their hearts.

Given Elder Liu's cold and aloof temperament, he rarely left that bamboo tower unless something truly major had happened.

Arriving at the hall, they saw the lean, stern-faced middle-aged man in the main seat, brush in hand, sketching something in a ledger. As one order after another went out, stewards paired off and shot swiftly toward the outside of the sect.

In the blink of an eye, more than half the people in the hall were gone.

"Miss Qianyun, what's the situation now?"

They edged toward the young woman in the crowd and asked softly.

"My father…" Liu Qianyun was clearly anxious, but quickly corrected herself: "The nearly forty vassal forces under the Elder's jurisdiction have all been struck by demon calamities within just three days. The jade slips begging for help have nearly buried the table."

"The enemy's intent is far too obvious—they're clearly coming for Elder Liu… but no matter how we search, we can't uncover the identity of the one behind it."

"…"

At her words, the group fell silent.

Compared to the first sentence, it was that last half that was truly more alarming.

To leave so many stewards and outer-gate elders helpless, the enemy must at least be a great demon on par with a Bai Yujing elder—possibly backed by an even greater force.

"Didn't you ask Ke the Fourth?"

By all rights, this dragon grandson controlled the stretch of water closest to Yu Nanhong's Seven Sons. With such a huge problem erupting, it would have to show itself.

"We did."

Liu Qianyun's face showed helplessness: "It sent back a letter, leaving only a single line—'not entirely clear'—and then nothing more."

"Bastard!" The stewards ground their teeth; such a brush-off was clearly giving Elder Liu no face at all.

An elder who couldn't even shield his vassals would inevitably earn a reputation for dereliction of duty.

"Keep it down."

Liu Shiqian raised his head and reminded them softly.

He then gestured with his eyes for them to step forward and receive their assignments.

A few more jade slips dropped into their palms.

Liu Qianyun was no exception.

But leveraging the father-daughter relationship, she still mustered her courage and stepped forward: "Elder Liu?"

She couldn't shake the feeling that her father seemed to know something—he just refused to say it.

A grand cultivator who had opened two cities and could draw forth the Qingluan immortal soldier—how could he fail to see who his enemy was?

"…"

Liu Shiqian lifted his gaze, swept a glance at her, paused in thought, and—uncharacteristically—did not scold her, merely saying flatly: "Be careful."

Hearing this, Liu Qianyun's heart gave a sudden lurch.

Sure enough—Father had already made a guess, and even he found it thorny; otherwise why would he warn her?

Thinking of this, Liu Qianyun blurted instinctively: "Why not ask the other elders for help?"

Liu Shiqian raised his head again, his gaze much calmer: "Out."

Taking in her father's expression, Liu Qianyun retreated sheepishly two steps, knowing he was angry again: "Look at you, getting worked up again—fine, I'll go, alright?"

Once Liu Qianyun had left.

The great hall became empty once more.

An old man with a crane's hair and a child's face ambled in leisurely—he was Elder Chiyang, the only Bai Yujing cultivator among the entire Seven Sects who was on good terms with Liu Shiqian.

He went straight to the table and sat down as usual: "Why not call on me for help? Who is the enemy, daring to be so arrogant, brazenly touching your tiger's whiskers?"

At his words, Liu Shiqian's gaze settled on the ledger; he merely shook his head.

"Not even me?" Elder Chiyang was taken aback, then his smile faded: "Then the enemy must be no small figure. And you won't seek help from the other elders in the sect, which means this is trouble you brought on yourself—without the Sect Master's or the Dao Child's permission?"

"…"

Liu Shiqian raised his head with a touch of helplessness: "You too—out."

As a Bai Yujing elder, how could he possibly be a fool?

"Let me guess again. With a temperament like yours, you barely step out once in a thousand years. The last time you left was to seek out that little Sect Master of General Nanyang Sect, and then you both went to the Yan family."

Elder Chiyang shook his head, musing: "You stuck your neck out for him and stirred up trouble, but after you came back, you seemed in fairly good spirits—so you thought you'd covered your tracks cleanly, only to be sold out?"

"Shut up."

Liu Shiqian shot him a glance.

Even though the exposure of this matter was indeed rather strange, strongly suggesting an insider had leaked the information.

He didn't think that Shen Zongzhu would betray him—his eye for people had never been wrong. Besides, when he had acted last time, given Shen Yi's realm, he couldn't have seen anything at all.

Perhaps the Yan family?

It didn't matter. The deed was done; mulling over it was pointless. Liu Shiqian took a remarkably carefree view of it.

When Ke the Fourth had replied, he had already roughly guessed who was behind those demons and monsters.

By all common sense, a dragon grandson was the youngest generation in Long Gong. Though demons and monsters had long lifespans, in terms of seniority, they were still juniors before a Bai Yujing elder of the Xian Sect.

But Ke the Fourth was different.

In terms of strength, it had surpassed most Xian Sect elders, and even some dragon sons couldn't match it.

In terms of influence, it was a dragon grandson of impure bloodline and should, by rights, have been heavily marginalized. But precisely because of that, it had no chance of inheriting the Dragon King's throne, so it was sent out to keep watch over Yu Nanhong's Seven Sons on Long Gong's behalf.

Which meant the force it commanded was far beyond what any ordinary dragon grandson should possess.

"…"

Back at the Yan family, that palm strike had caused Liu Shiqian to inexplicably make such an enemy without informing his sect.

He was not a Dao Child, merely an elder.

Since Ke Xuanjian had not offended the Qingyue Sect, his covert move to set a trap became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

If it had gone undiscovered, all would have been well, but once exposed, it was tantamount to making a decision on behalf of the Qingyue Sect.

This was a breach of the rules, and might even plant a rift in the Dao Child's heart.

Liu Shiqian was no coward who feared death; to settle this matter, he would inevitably have to go and meet Ke the Fourth.

He slowly rose to his feet and handed a letter to Elder Chiyang, cutting short the other's continued guessing: "Do me a favor—deliver this letter to General Nanyang Sect, and make sure it reaches Shen Zongzhu."

Since Ke the Fourth already knew he had made his move, naturally he would not forget Shen Yi either.

He still had to warn Shen Zongzhu to be extra careful.

"You don't treat even your own precious daughter this well." Chiyang rolled his eyes. They still didn't even know whether it was General Nanyang Sect that had sold out surnamed Liu, and now here he was rushing to tip others off.

"Go on, then."

Liu Shiqian nodded and strode out of the great hall.

He was rigid and unwilling to let others feel that Qianyun received any special treatment within the sect, but that did not mean he didn't cherish his own daughter—he worried just as much that she might be dragged into this affair.

That was why he had to find Ke the Fourth as soon as possible and put an end to the matter.

Until Liu Shiqian's slender silhouette disappeared outside the great hall.

Only then did Elder Chiyang raise his brows. He actually trusted this old friend's eye for people, but if it wasn't General Nanyang Sect that had sold out his old friend, then most likely it was some other Meng Sect Bai Yujing cultivator.

He figured the problem still lay with the Dao Merging General Nanyang Baodi.

Getting too close to General Nanyang Sect was, in the end, no good thing.

"Sigh."

Elder Chiyang let out a breath. The most wretched thing was sinking into thought, only to suddenly realize that seemingly everyone was a suspect, and every one of those Dao-companions had a motive.

How had the once-fine Yu Nanhong Seven Sons ended up in such a state?

"Why the heck would I go to General Nanyang Sect? The old man treats you like a close friend, and you shove the old man into a pit of fire—talk about rotten luck."

Elder Chiyang muttered a curse to himself, then left the great hall with a helpless smile.

(End of Chapter)