Southwest of Yan Province, atop the continuous snow mountains.

Ling Xuedu and Shi Xin stood high in the air, their Divine Senses sweeping relentlessly, scouring every direction, striving to find Zhuge Longsu's whereabouts.

On that day at the small town, Shi Xin seized an opportunity to launch a surprise attack, severely injuring Zhuge Longsu. However, Zhuge Longsu summoned the Haqi River in time, allowing him to escape from their grasp.

Afterwards, they pursued him with urgency, driving Zhuge Longsu into these snow mountains.

This range of snow mountains extends for several miles, covering a vast area. Without resorting to destructive means, Ling Xuedu and Shi Xin found it challenging to locate Zhuge Longsu.

And once they searched by forcefully destroying the mountains, the commotion would definitely attract strong warriors from Northern Zhou within an hour. By then, they would either flee in panic or meet their end at the hands of the arriving warriors from Northern Zhou.

After all, this is the territory of Northern Zhou, and outsiders cannot act recklessly here.

Thus, the two could only resort to the most cumbersome method, searching repeatedly.

On the other hand, Zhuge Longsu did not dare to act impulsively. His injuries were so severe that if discovered, it would lead to an immediate death sentence.

Therefore, creating a big disturbance to draw reinforcements could only be left unattempted. Because once he exposed his position, he would meet Death God before any reinforcements could arrive.

And so, these two groups were playing a game of hide-and-seek, one side hiding, the other seeking.

After a day of arduous searching, Shi Xin finally couldn't help but curse angrily, "The Confucians always pride themselves on being open and honorable, yet Zhuge Longsu is so adept at concealing his presence that not a trace of qi can be found."

With the intensity of Divine Sense at the Divinity Realm, they could have meticulously scoured these continuous snow mountains several times in one day.

However, after several sweeps, the two still gained nothing, failing to capture even the slightest trace of the enemy.

To this, the two could only silently curse Zhuge Longsu, the dean of Mountain River Academy and the second figure of Northern Zhou's Confucian school, for being so unorthodox, for bringing shame to the Confucians.

Of course, it could also be said that they brought shame to the Demon Path. These two strong warriors at the Divinity Realm from the Demon Path were outmaneuvered in concealment techniques by a Confucian, disgracing their years of secretive dealings.

"Letting things drag on this way isn't too bad either."

Ling Xuedu showed no sign of panic on his face, instead, displaying a faint smile, "With Zhuge Longsu missing, it can just as well serve to inflame the conflicts between the Confucians and the court. With those infiltrators within the Taoist sect, this isn't hard.

Let's just maintain this stalemate here. Eventually, Zhuge Longsu will have to reveal himself as long as we keep searching."

The sound reverberated through the snow mountains, echoing continuously, reaching the ears of a certain hidden individual.

Half a mile away from Ling Xuedu, beneath a layer of snow, a body lay buried two zhang deep as if a dead man.

No movement, no breath, not even a trace of body heat, appearing to be nothing more than a frozen corpse.

But those eyes, occasionally shifting slightly, proved he was still alive.

Yes, the unfortunate soul gravely wounded, nearly losing his life shortly after assuming his position, was none other than the Northern Zhou Grandmaster, Zhuge Longsu.

At present, he was playing the role of a corpse, a dead thing that dared not breathe. He even suppressed his own vitality to the utmost, not daring to heal his injuries, for any disturbance in vitality would likely be detected by Ling Xuedu, Blood Path to God.

'For now, the only hope is for His Majesty to sense the anomaly here.'

Zhuge Longsu remained motionless, but his thoughts were restless.

He knew that trying to escape on his own was a fool's dream, and sending a signal to the court was virtually impossible.

At the moment, Zhuge Longsu dared not emit even the slightest wave of Divine Sense, let alone send any signals.

Nevertheless, it wasn't entirely implausible to let the court know of his whereabouts.

Having previously delved into the Emperor Martial Art, Zhuge Longsu understood its mystical properties. The earth veins of Northern Zhou could actually serve as sensing points for Emperor Zhou, provided Emperor Zhou could withstand the chaotic information within the earth veins.

Though this area was remote, it was still one node among Northern Zhou's earth veins, closely linked with the Dragon Vein.

This was precisely why Zhuge Longsu chose to hide here during his escape.

Given Emperor Zhou's willpower, capable of enduring several years, Zhuge Longsu believed Emperor Zhou might achieve this feat.

'Please, Your Majesty.'

Zhuge Longsu thought, further suppressing his vitality, making his aura even more silent.

························

"Hmm?"

In Yangxin Hall, Emperor Zhou sensed something amiss, as if perceiving a slight anomaly.

"The Dragon Vein seems to have sensed some qi, perhaps a disturbance at an earth veins' node?" Emperor Zhou slightly furrowed his brow.

Seated within the Nine Dragon Sky Array, further deepening his connection with the Dragon Vein through the formation, he had vague perceptions of the various earth veins.

Simply put, Emperor Zhou was akin to a seismograph, possessing extremely keen sensitivity to the disturbances of the earth.

Just now, Emperor Zhou sensed a fluctuation, as if there was an anomaly at some earth vein node.

"Cold Eunuch, are you saying that Zhuge Longsu escaped from Ling Xuedu and Shi Xin?" Emperor Zhou asked the Cold Eunuch beside him for confirmation.

"Returning to Your Majesty, the Grandmaster within our nation's borders can forcibly invoke the power of the Haqi River. Based on the estimates of this old servant and two Divine Communication experts from the Demon Path, the Grandmaster has most likely escaped to safety," the Cold Eunuch replied.

The reason it's said to be highly likely is because Zhuge Longsu has been missing for a day without showing up. Ordinarily, even if he invoked the Haqi River, Zhuge Longsu would still have suffered significant injuries.

Being missing for a day without being found might be due to severe injuries leading to unconsciousness, or perhaps... capture.

"Southwest," Emperor Zhou suddenly said.

"Hmm?" The Cold Eunuch looked at Emperor Zhou with a puzzled expression.

"Cold Eunuch, you, Mo Guming, and the Seven Extremes Elder head straight southwest without concealing your presence. If my prediction is correct, the Grandmaster should be in the southwest direction," Emperor Zhou added.

This is not just a sense of the Earth Veins, but also intuition as a Master of Heavenly Mechanism. Although the Heavenly Mechanism is so confused nowadays that even Qing Yu can't see clearly, Qing Yu's intuition still holds some value.

"Wait," Emperor Zhou added, "go to the Fate Altar and bring Baili Shensuan. Have him follow the Earth Veins' flow to search, paying special attention to the nodal points of the Earth Veins."

The Fate Altar currently falls under Northern Zhou's jurisdiction, and since they have yet to achieve any merits, it is a good time to have Baili Shensuan go out and contribute.

Moreover, he is deeply learned in topography, making him quite useful.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Although unsure of the reason, the Cold Eunuch did not question and immediately took his leave to contact the three accompanying him.

Shortly after the Cold Eunuch left, a little eunuch hurriedly entered the Yangxin Hall and knelt, saying, "Your Majesty, the Eighth Eighth Eighth... Eighth Prince requests an urgent audience."

Eighth Prince?

Emperor Zhou pondered, "He must mean the Eighth Prince, please quickly invite him in."

The Eighth Prince, Feng Qiwu, brother of Feng Jiu, because he had never been enfeoffed as a king, had been in seclusion at the Mountain River Academy, leaving the little eunuch momentarily at a loss for how to address him.

After all, among the thirteen princes of Northern Zhou, nearly all had become dust in tombs, leaving only Feng Jiu and Feng Qiwu.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

In no time, the little eunuch briskly brought in the anxious-looking Feng Qiwu.

"Minister Feng Qiwu..."

"Eighth Prince, no need for formalities, someone bring a seat," Emperor Zhou raised a hand, using an invisible force to support Feng Qiwu, preventing him from bowing.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Before the eunuch could bring a chair, Feng Qiwu hastily said, "Your Majesty, rumors have suddenly spread in the Academy, claiming that Your Majesty intends to remove the Grandmaster and has already taken action. Please order a thorough investigation to prevent the Academy students from being used by scoundrels."

"Rumors in the Academy?" Emperor Zhou murmured, "They really acted quickly."

No need to elaborate, the so-called rumors are the tricks of those secretive rats. For if in their place, Emperor Zhou would also seize this opportunity to stir up chaos with rumors.

If the enemy didn't seize this chance, Emperor Zhou would consider them too foolish and not worth worrying about.

"No need..."

As Emperor Zhou was about to speak, another eunuch reported, "Your Majesty, the Shenxiao Dao Master Lin Zixiao sent a message, saying there is chaos within the Taoist sect. Yunming Temple, Chaoqing Temple, and the Xiang Dao family have rebelled, under the banner of slaughtering the Demon Path, calling for Righteous Path support. Your Majesty, please send aid."

"Your Majesty..."

The Demon Sword Dao's Sect Leader Mo Guming hurried in, "The Blood Demon Sect has appeared in Meng Province, I fear I may not be able to assist Grandmaster Zhuge."

Meanwhile, Qing Yu from the Zhenwu Sect also received a message from Lan Cang.

"The Demon Lord has left the palace, his whereabouts unknown, suspected of heading for Northern Zhou. It's an opportunity to ambush the Demon Lord in secret."

Pulled by a single thread and the entire web is affected, with Zhuge Longsu's disappearance, all forces targeting Qing Yu began to move.

"It seems they believe the time is ripe," Emperor Zhou's lips curled into a cold smile.

The nearly ten-day blizzard disaster provided the best timing, allowing various plots to ferment over these ten days. Now, due to the snow disaster, Northern Zhou's experts are scattered, with internal chaos rising, the Confucians repressed by the court for years refusing to give in, discontent within the Taoist sect against Qing Yu, all exploding at this opportune moment.

'It's likely that they're waiting for me to make my move now.'

The Taoist sect traitors and the Demon Lord, their target is Qing Yu. Unless Qing Yu acts, they won't exert full force, holding their trump cards, hoping for a lethal strike on Qing Yu.

But Qing Yu can't remain hidden indefinitely. If Northern Zhou can't withstand these internal and external threats, Qing Yu must act. Otherwise, his years of efforts might be lost in an instant.

This is the match between the one behind the scenes and Qing Yu, using Northern Zhou as the stage, watching which side's protagonist can no longer hold back.

'When I have crushed all your pieces, let's see if you can still hold back and not emerge,' Emperor Zhou thought with a steely gaze, a flash of invisible sharpness passing through his eyes.

Northern Zhou may not necessarily be the first to falter; more likely, the enemy will be the first to be crushed by Northern Zhou.

Let's see then, whether the one behind the scenes continues to cower or decides to make a bold move.

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