Chapter 2873: Waiting by the Stump for a Rabbit

"Alright! Since Li Daoyuan played a golden cicada shedding its shell with us, we'll set up a waiting‑by‑the‑stump‑for‑a‑rabbit for him!"

Ye Liuyun heard this and was delighted, immediately having Lin Huo agree. Then he and his clone used the Thousand Illusion Technique to disguise themselves as two of Lin Huo's disciples, and followed Lin Huo back to the Lin family's Artifact Hall.

Lin Qing'ao and the others were placed by Ye Liuyun to wait inside a Formation, and were instructed not to leave Li's residence during that time, lest they incur Li Daoyuan's retaliation.

He also talked with Lin Huo along the way to learn some of his circumstances, in order to better deal with Li Daoyuan. Even when pretending to be a disciple, he had to act convincingly, lest any flaw be exposed.

Lin Huo also suggested that Ye Liuyun set up the Formation in advance to trap Li Daoyuan.

Ye Liuyun thought for a moment and felt that Li Daoyuan was now a startled bird, cautious everywhere he went. He feared the Formation would be discovered by Li Daoyuan, arousing suspicion, so he dared not reveal himself.

"No need. Just wait for him in your family's Artifact Hall. As long as he appears within my reach, I won't let him escape."

Ye Liuyun had already decided that as soon as he could see Li Daoyuan, he would employ Time Power to launch an attack on him.

"This time, no matter what, we can't let him run away again! If Li Daoyuan escapes again, it will be hard to catch him later!"

After Lin Huo returned to the Artifact Hall with Ye Liuyun and his clone, he settled them there.

With nothing to do, they actually began learning artifact refining with Lin Huo; thanks to their flames, they fit the standard of a disciple without needing any special display. They also dared not release a strong Divine Sense to scout around, lest Li Daoyuan notice.

Li Daoyuan soon hurried to Lin Huo's residence. However, he was extremely cautious, fearing that Lin Qing'ao might set another trap for him. So he didn't dare enter lightly, instead probing from outside with his Divine Sense for a while.

He acted very carefully; Ye Liuyun and his clone did not emit Divine Sense, so they couldn't detect him. As an artifact refiner, Lin Huo's Soul was not weak, but compared with Li Daoyuan, it was still a bit lacking.

When the appointed time arrived, Li Daoyuan still hadn't appeared, and Lin Huo seemed a bit anxious. Fortunately, Lin Huo was naturally impatient, so Ye Liuyun didn't intervene and let him act in his true nature.

Ye Liuyun and his clone were together studying artifact refining. One used yang fire, the other yin fire, jointly forging a treasure that could

release a flame‑based attack.

During this period, Lin Huo also noticed that if these two learned artifact refining, they could indeed achieve results. So he casually gave them a couple of pointers, and they both performed like a proper master‑disciple pair.

Li Daoyuan circled the Lin residence, observing for a while, but found no people or Formation ambushes, nor any flaw in their performance. So in the end he hurried over to meet Lin Huo.

"Why are you just arriving now? So late!" As soon as Li Daoyuan entered the Lin house, Lin Huo's Divine Sense detected him, and he immediately began to complain.

"Got held up by something!" Li Daoyuan apologized right away.

Although he was the strongest, he still dared not rely on these artifact, alchemy, and Formation masters, as he might need them later.

"The Soul‑Stabilizing Bell I refined for you has a problem?" Lin Huo asked anxiously.

He didn't know Ye Liuyun had tampered with the Soul‑Stabilizing Bell he refined, so he asked Li Daoyuan directly. Li Daoyuan had previously mentioned that the bell was malfunctioning and needed repair.

"Yes! It's been controlled by someone!" Li Daoyuan said, and walked straight into the Artifact Hall.

"The Formation above was altered? You lent the Soul‑Stabilizing Bell to someone else?" Lin Huo immediately speculated.

"Sigh, don't bring it up! Please take a look for me." Li Daoyuan didn't want him to know that Lin Qing'ao had betrayed him, lest Lin Huo betray him.

He then immediately produced the Soul‑Stabilizing Bell and handed it to Lin Huo.

The two disciples disguised as Ye Liuyun and his clone only glanced when Li Daoyuan entered, then continued refining artifacts.

This time they were certain it was indeed Li Daoyuan himself. Whether it was the Primordial Pill or the Soul, it was him. Since he had already entered, they were not in a hurry to act.

Lin Huo took the Soul‑Stabilizing Bell, pointed to a chair, indicating that Li Daoyuan should sit. He then habitually picked up the bell to inspect it.

After examining it carefully, Lin Huo confirmed: "The Formation was altered, and an additional primary‑secondary Formation was added!"

"Indeed!" Li Daoyuan replied, then asked: "How long to fix it?"

Lin Huo, having identified the issue, did not immediately start repairing it; instead, following the information transmitted via Ye Liuyun's Slave Seal, he set the bell down and chatted with Li Daoyuan: "Half an hour will suffice! But what Soul Defense Treasure are you using now? Who refined it?"

It's his professional habit; when there are similar treasures, he always compares them.

"A Wind‑Thunder Fan, its usefulness doesn't match your refined Soul‑Stabilizing Bell! It was taken from someone else, and I don't know who refined it." Li Daoyuan, aware of his quirk, wasn't overly suspicious.

"Bring it out for me to see!" Lin Huo said directly, without any hesitation.

Li Daoyuan frowned uncomfortably, torn between not giving it and fearing to offend him.

"Fear what? With me, what could you be uneasy about! If I wanted to harm you, I would have already tampered with the Soul‑Stabilizing Bell!" Lin Huo boasted shamelessly.

Even Ye Liuyun and his clone, upon hearing it, thought to themselves that this old fellow was a relentless trap‑setter!

"Ha ha, what's so scary! I'm just afraid you'll study it too long. I'm waiting to use that Soul‑Stabilizing Bell urgently!"

Li Daoyuan, hearing this, could only explain while releasing the Wind‑Thunder Fan and handing it to Lin Huo.

After receiving it, Lin Huo directly erased Li Daoyuan's Divine Sense from it.

Li Daoyuan was stunned. Yet Lin Huo's action was so natural that he thought Lin Huo was merely conducting a test, not intending to harm him.

At this moment, Ye Liuyun employed Time Power, freezing time, and the Soul surged into Li Daoyuan's Sea of Consciousness.

Li Daoyuan's Soul was not weak; under Ye Liuyun's Time Power, it still managed some response.

"You harmed me!" his Soul roared.

Meanwhile, Lin Huo's Soul was not entirely halted and could still react. He knew Ye Liuyun was using Time Power; the last time he was controlled, it felt the same.

In his view, anyone who could wield such Time Power was practically invincible. Thus he had no objection to Ye Liuyun controlling him. Moreover, there were many Artifact Refining Masters within Ye Liuyun's Space World. He had already communicated with Qiong Qi, Tong Xin and others, and got along well.

"Who let you offend someone you shouldn't have!" he retorted to Li Daoyuan.

At this point, Ye Liuyun's Soul had successfully pulled one of Li Daoyuan's Souls out and returned it to the Sea of Consciousness.

Li Daoyuan's other Soul was still berating Lin Huo, about to burst out to clash with him, but Ye Liuyun's Soul surged again, pulling that second Soul into the Sea of Consciousness.

Li Daoyuan's other Soul was still cursing Lin Huo, and still wanted to rush out to fight him to the death, but Ye Liuyun's Soul rushed over again, pulling his other Soul also into the Sea of Consciousness.