But this did not mean the other Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators were free of ulterior motives.

Or rather, the seven great powers at the Immortal Ascension Realm or above currently on Chenping Continent, each of them was harboring their own private calculations.

Take Yin Xia, for example.

After the murderer of Liang Qianbo, Jiang Da of Danyang Sect, was captured by Wind Ravine Valley, no useful intelligence had been extracted from him to this very day.

That in itself was utterly ridiculous.

After all, the murder of a Guardian of the Dao on Du Cang Mountain had already alarmed every Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator currently present on Chenping Continent.

If Yin Xia had personally conducted the interrogation, one could say that this great power at the Immortal Ascension Realm who had governed Wind Ravine Valley for over ten thousand years had ten thousand ways to make a mere Myriad Transformations Realm cultivator like Jiang Da cough up every piece of intelligence he possessed.

But she did not.

Because Yin Xia wanted to test how Chen Yan would handle the attack on the Guardian of the Dao of Du Cang Mountain.

And yet now, Chen Yan was not on Du Cang Mountain at all.

"No need to trouble yourself, True Person Yin."

With that, Kong Yang turned around once more and strode away from Du Cang Hall, and this time, Yin Xia did not stop him.

The enormous pitch-black rift hanging across the sky remained silent and still, yet it continued to slowly expand.

......

Western Region of Chenping Continent, Liaolong, Huangquan City.

Emerging from the Yulai Pavilion branch, Li Haowen walked with He Qingling along a fairly bustling street.

His current mission was to make his way to Liaolong Ferry, rent a ferry to travel to the Kongshan Sect in the northwest region of Chenping Continent, and bring He Qingling before Patriarch Kong.

It was not just Liang Qianbo. Even Bai Jinye had been attacked.

If Chu Xiyao had not remained on Du Cang Mountain without ever leaving recently, she too might very well have fallen victim to an attack.

Li Haowen's mind began once more to calculate the danger level of the route he had decided upon.

First, travel from the Yunci Dynasty to Cyclone City Ferry, then from Cyclone City Ferry to Liaolong Ferry, then from Liaolong to the Kongshan Sect, and finally have Patriarch Kong personally escort them back to Du Cang Mountain...

Li Haowen decided to stop overthinking.

Because if even this route he had meticulously planned could harbor danger, then it meant that no matter how many detours he took, he could never escape the puppet master's watchful gaze.

Just as Li Haowen and He Qingling were crossing the relatively busy street and heading toward the ferry, a sudden change occurred in a somewhat narrow alleyway to the side.

"Clang!"

First came a crisp yet unusually loud sound of metal clashing from within the alley, followed closely by a figure in brownish daoist robes sprinting out of the narrow lane.

"You little bastard, stop right there for your daddy! You think you can fool me with that fake spirit stone?"

Right after, an anger-laced middle-aged man's voice came from the alley.

The figure in brownish daoist robes was clutching a cloth bundle to his chest, seemingly containing a spiritual artifact, and he was running straight toward Li Haowen.

The street Li Haowen stood on was extremely busy, practically packed with people, leaving him no room to dodge the figure in brownish daoist robes charging straight at him.

Then, that figure in brownish daoist robes slammed directly into Li Haowen's chest.

As a Passable God Realm cultivator, Li Haowen naturally stood as solid as a mountain. The figure in brownish daoist robes simply shoved the cloth bundle into Li Haowen's hands, then slipped away into the crowd on the street in the blink of an eye.

"You little bastard!"

The anger-laced middle-aged man's voice grew closer, and a man in deep blue daoist robes emerged from the alley.

He first glanced at the figure in brownish daoist robes who had just vanished into the crowd, then turned his gaze toward Li Haowen, who stood on the street in light gray daoist robes, clutching the cloth bundle.

He seemed to be weighing his options.

But there was really nothing to weigh. Compared to chasing down a con artist, recovering his own property was far more important.

"Excuse me, Fellow Daoist."

The middle-aged man spoke, walking toward Li Haowen and reaching out to point at the cloth bundle in his arms.

"That's my belongings, so if you could perhaps..."

Without any hesitation, Li Haowen simply tossed the cloth bundle back to the middle-aged man.

"Thank you, thank you!"

The middle-aged man said repeatedly, then turned and walked back into the alley.

Incidents like this did indeed happen from time to time in the cultivation world...

As he thought this, Li Haowen's eyes suddenly sharpened, as if realizing something was wrong. He turned around, searching for He Qingling behind him.

Gone.

Damn it!

Realizing something was terribly wrong, Li Haowen immediately unleashed his spiritual sense across the street, yet within dozens of feet, he detected no trace of He Qingling's presence.

In the next instant, Li Haowen broke into a sprint and charged into the alley.

Thud!

With a dull impact, he grabbed the middle-aged man, who was still walking toward a shop deeper in the alley, lifted him into the air with his left hand, and pinned him against the wall.

The bandages wrapped around the long sword at the man's waist came loose, revealing a pitch-black sword hilt.

The Yuanji Sword.

Li Haowen pressed the middle-aged man against the wall with his left hand while his right hand reached for the hilt of the Yuanji Sword at his own waist.

The moment the Yuanji Sword slid slightly from its scabbard, the temperature in the entire alley plummeted, enough to send a chill through anyone.

"Where is she?"

Li Haowen's gaze was razor-sharp, and his voice low.

"F-Fellow Daoist, wh-what is the meaning of this?"

The middle-aged man looked panicked and bewildered. He was merely a Qi Circulation Realm cultivator, and he was painfully aware that the man in light gray daoist robes currently pinning him to the wall, one hand on his sword hilt, possessed a cultivation level far above his own.

Thus, he harbored no thoughts of resistance and could only ask in a timid, faltering voice.

"..."

Li Haowen said nothing further, remaining silent.

The problem probably did not lie with the Qi Circulation Realm cultivator in front of him, but rather with that figure in brownish daoist robes who had run off earlier.

So he released his grip on the middle-aged man's collar and shoved the slightly drawn Yuanji Sword back into its scabbard.

Then he leaped into the air, soaring overhead, and within a few breaths had transformed into a tiny black dot that vanished from the sight of the shaken middle-aged man, who clutched his cloth bundle tightly to his chest.

"Was that... a Qi Sea Realm great power?"

Staring blankly at the sky, the middle-aged man murmured to himself.

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