Free Web NovelChapter 301: Chapter 30: Xiu Yu is Injured
Unlike what Wang Ping had expected, the intelligence Ren Kong had gathered had nothing to do with Nanlin Road. Instead, it was mostly related to ’First Day,’ specifically its Third Realm Cultivators.
But he hadn’t used this intelligence to destroy ’First Day.’ Instead, he’d used it to do business with them, trading for those mutated fake spirits. They had already made at least a hundred deals, and the fake spirits he acquired each time were sent to True Yang Mountain.
"Rumor has it that an ancestor from True Yang Mountain has been stuck in the Third Realm. The conditions for his ascension back then were less than ideal—yes, he was one of the first pioneers who blazed the trail. His lifespan should have ended long ago, but he’s been using a Secret Technique to absorb the Spiritual Qi from an underground Fire Vein to sustain his life."
Zi Luan shared this secret with Wang Ping. "By my calculations, he’s already lived for over a thousand extra years. I’m afraid that by now, relying solely on the Spiritual Qi from the Fire Vein isn’t enough to keep him alive. These fake spirits are likely being bought for his use."
"Is it really necessary to cling to life like that?" Wang Ping was puzzled.
"That’s a question you’ll have to ask the True Yang Sect. I don’t really get it either," Zi Luan said nonchalantly. "Perhaps the fire spirit he’s connected to is special, and the True Yang Sect’s development depends on it."
Wang Ping was silent for a few moments before asking, "Then... is he still human?"
"Again, you’d have to ask the True Yang Sect. But my guess is he stopped being human a long time ago. Otherwise, he couldn’t have survived this long," Zi Luan remarked, his voice dripping with contempt.
"So, the True Yang Sect paid a hefty price to plant someone in Mozhou Road, all so their ancestor could trade for fake spirits with ’First Day’? Then why would ’First Day’ want to kill Ren Kong?" Wang Ping mused aloud, as if talking to himself, yet also questioning Zi Luan.
"We’ll just have to see if there are any clues in the rest of this intelligence..."
Zi Luan’s head ached as he looked at the tens of thousands of intelligence reports. "These people really can’t sit still. Xiu Yu has probably already attempted his ascension once. The moment he truly masters the process will be when he enters the Fourth Realm."
Hearing this, Wang Ping mentally reviewed the events in Mozhou Road. ’First, after Xiao Shan Lord suggested dealing with Wu Ma Daoist, Xiu Yu immediately proposed a stratagem of making the tiger devour the wolf.’
’So, at the very least, that meant this wasn’t premeditated.’
’Next, the people from ’First Day’ used this operation as cover to mobilize frequently. There must have been disciples of Wu Ma Daoist among them. Back during the battle in Changwen Prefecture City, the ones fighting the Jimin Association above the clouds were definitely Wu Ma Daoist’s disciples.’
’And there was that Snake Demon, backed by a Giant Demon!’
All these connections were tangled together. Wang Ping simply couldn’t figure out how they were all related.
The two of them continued to sift through the remaining intelligence. After that, ’First Day’ only appeared again in reports from the Northwest.
’That’s right, Ren Kong had collected a lot of intelligence on the Northwest, but he hadn’t placed any of his own pieces there. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen. Anything that could stir the heart of a Third Realm Cultivator had to be a major event.’
Over the course of the night, the two used their Primordial Spirit Consciousness to review all the remaining intelligence, but they found nothing else of value.
Zi Luan was somewhat disappointed. But just then, a Puppet Bird flew into the attic through the dim morning glow. It landed cheerfully in his hand and hopped about, just like a real Spirit Bird.
Right in front of Wang Ping, he removed the message from the Puppet Bird’s abdomen. As he finished reading, the gloomy expression on his face vanished, replaced by obvious delight. "Xiu Yu’s Primordial Spirit was suddenly injured yesterday!" he told Wang Ping, his voice filled with glee. "Haha, he must have run into problems during his attempt!"
Wang Ping was, of course, secretly pleased to hear this news, but his joy was immediately followed by a chilling thought about Zi Luan’s capabilities. ’To detect an injury to Xiu Yu’s Primordial Spirit, the informant has to be someone extremely close to him, and they must have at least a Second Realm cultivation base.’
"I knew it! He was causing such a huge commotion to cover up his ascension. What a shame, what a shame. The Celestial Dao did not permit it. All his scheming was for nothing."
"And even if the Celestial Dao allowed it, there’s still the Human Dao to consider. Ascending to the Fourth Realm isn’t like reaching the Third. Without a Lord to act as your Guardian, without the recognition of the other Lords, you’ll be slapped back down with a single palm, even if you’re lucky enough to break through."
This was Zi Luan’s way of warning Wang Ping. In his eyes, Wang Ping was ambitious and high-spirited, having reached the Third Realm in just over two hundred years. He was sure that Wang Ping would rashly attempt to ascend to the Fourth Realm the moment conditions seemed favorable.
"Alright, I won’t stay any longer. Someone from headquarters will be here soon. They’ll ask some routine questions. Tell them what you must, but don’t say a single word more than necessary. They won’t dare to press you too hard."
With that, Zi Luan transformed into a streak of light and vanished.
It was clear that his primary concern was Xiu Yu’s attempt at ascension. He couldn’t care less about what Ren Kong had done, or even about the intelligence on ’First Day.’ After all, he still had two thousand years of life left and several fallback plans.
After Zi Luan left, Wang Ping fought the urge to return to Qianmu Temple. He remained in the Daoist Scripture Hall to engage in Pure Cultivation, both to stabilize the situation in Nanlin Road and to wait for the arrival of the envoy from the Daoist Scripture Hall’s headquarters.
During this waiting period, Mozhou Road descended into utter chaos. First, with no one to oversee the Cultivation Realm, incidents of treasure hunting and murder spread like a virus throughout the region. Some opportunistic Entering Cultivators, who fancied themselves clever, also snuck into Mozhou Road, hoping to strike it rich.
The Daoist Scripture Hall specifically used a Communication Token to order Wang Ping to oversee Mozhou Road. Wang Ping, in turn, requested instructions from the Lord but received no reply. Thus, he simply had Zuo Xuan dispatch three Second Realm Cultivators to maintain order there, as was customary.
However, after arriving in Mozhou Road, these three cultivators did nothing but take bribes, causing the situation to descend into even greater chaos. The turmoil even began to spill over into Hai Zhou Road and Ningzhou Road, cutting off the trade routes to the south.
Five days after the incident in Mozhou Road began, Wang Ping had yet to see the envoy from the Daoist Scripture Hall’s headquarters. Instead, he was met by Feng Miao, whom he had seen not long ago.
Wang Ping was very happy to see Feng Miao and immediately asked what brought her here.
Feng Miao gave a bitter smile. "My heart may have been with my sect, but the sect’s heart wasn’t with me. The Grand Ancestor doesn’t even know who I am, and he certainly didn’t grant me an audience."
Reality is sometimes just that strange.
Wang Ping asked, "Have you figured things out?"
"I have!"
Feng Miao took out a blue Water Seal. It looked like a fist-sized blue crystal, its surface covered in intricate Array Runes. "When I left Changwen Prefecture, I had an incredible stroke of luck..."
She glanced around, as Wang Ping was meeting her in the administrative courtyard again.
The moment Wang Ping saw the Blue Crystal, he instantly perceived what was inside it. He didn’t ask the others in the room to leave. Instead, he simply swept Feng Miao up, transformed into a streak of light, and landed in the top-floor attic of the main tower.
