Currently, there were a total of two Unity Realm cultivators near Moxu Mountain.
One was Chen Yan himself.
The other, Chen Yan did not dare to probe too deeply, in case he exposed himself.
Using the Hidden Immortal Art, Chen Yan concealed his aura.
Thus, as long as he didn't actively provoke anyone, even an Ascending to Immortality Realm cultivator would find it difficult to detect his presence through spiritual sense.
Of course, calculations through heavenly fate and cause and effect were an entirely different matter.
The Hidden Immortal Art could not evade deduction.
Although he hadn't dared to probe too much, Chen Yan could roughly guess that the other Unity Realm cultivator near Moxu Mountain was likely Grand Elder Jing Bai of Mirage Palace.
Under normal circumstances, having an upper three realms cultivator providing protection here would basically guarantee everything went smoothly.
That raised the level of credibility even further.
As for Kang Zongdan's whereabouts, Chen Yan had already discovered them.
He was sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion in a courtyard, listening to an old man in bright yellow daoist robes lecture on dao from a high platform.
Kang Zongdan's seat was quite good, and the disciples around him all seemed quite respectful toward him.
Even though these disciples appeared younger than him, and most had higher cultivation levels.
Chen Yan could roughly guess why this was.
It was very likely that Mirage Palace had already informed this sect in advance.
Not only that, Chen Yan also saw quite a few more things.
For example, three large characters were carved on the mountain gate of this cultivation sect: Xiaolin Sect.
The highest cultivator within this sect was a Qi Sea Realm late-stage cultivator.
Then there was another Qi Sea Realm mid-stage cultivator, plus over a dozen Martial Spring Realm cultivators.
Such a configuration could be considered a decent third-rate sect on Chenping Continent, but because they had no Passable God Realm cultivator in charge and had never produced a Myriad Transformations Realm cultivator, they absolutely could not be called a second-rate sect.
Nor could they qualify to participate in the Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent.
For such a third-rate cultivation sect, there was likely no need for Mirage Palace to send word in advance.
Even if just any elder from the Han Crow Sect or the Jiugong Sect—two major sects—paid a visit, the Xiaolin Sect's sect leader would have to stand at the mountain gate in person, greeting them with a smile.
The reason the puppet master behind Mirage Palace had dumped Kang Zongdan into this obscure little sect was easy to analyze.
They wanted to keep a low profile, to avoid being discovered.
As for what exactly they were plotting…
No one knew.
"Kang Zongdan is currently in a sect called Xiaolin Sect. According to Grand Elder Jing, he should be serving as a guest elder there."
Chen Yan said calmly.
"Xiaolin Sect…"
Zhou Jinyun murmured to herself.
"Located on a mountainside about seventy miles northeast of this town."
Chen Yan continued.
"This junior understands."
Then, Zhou Jinyun raised her head and searched for something in the sky.
She spotted an eagle.
The moment her gaze locked onto that eagle, Zhou Jinyun's eyes instantly became somewhat rigid and vacant.
Then she listlessly lowered her head, as if she were spacing out.
The eagle in the sky first dipped downward for an instant, then quickly adjusted its flight posture.
It began flying northeast from Wushi Town.
"Big brother, what's going on with Immortal Master Zhou…"
Su Hongzhen beside him had clearly noticed Zhou Jinyun's strange state and asked Chen Yan.
Chen Yan said nothing, simply raising his teacup to his lips, taking another small sip.
Up until now, Su Hongzhen had maintained a record of complete defeat in his sparring sessions with Zhou Jinyun.
Therefore, it could be said that Su Hongzhen had considerable respect for Zhou Jinyun, this young girl only a year older than him.
But Chen Yan and Zhou Jinyun both knew that when facing Su Hongzhen, Zhou Jinyun was beginning to find it increasingly difficult.
If Zhou Jinyun didn't use her true qi, she might even risk capsizing in a ditch.
On the surface, however, Zhou Jinyun still appeared completely at ease.
Because she was secretly using illusions.
This made it impossible for Su Hongzhen to determine Zhou Jinyun's exact position; he thought the direction his sword swung was where Zhou Jinyun was.
In reality, he was just slashing at air.
Zhou Jinyun's illusions made Su Hongzhen exclaim in amazement:
Such fast movement technique!
But Su Hongzhen's rate of progress never disappointed.
After thrusting out one strike, Su Hongzhen would immediately adjust his sword and then quickly slash toward Zhou Jinyun's position.
His movements were fluid and smooth.
To counter Su Hongzhen's improvement, Zhou Jinyun quickly devised a countermeasure.
She cast illusions twice in succession.
This shocked Su Hongzhen even more—how could anyone simultaneously complete movement techniques in two completely opposite directions?
Su Hongzhen began trying to imitate Zhou Jinyun's movement technique.
Unsurprisingly, even a genius like him couldn't move in two directions at once.
But he still drew inspiration from Zhou Jinyun's illusions, making his movement technique more agile and deceptive.
Chen Yan even saw hints of the Thousand Clouds Transformation that Mr. You had once taught Si Youyou.
However, this was still not enough to counter Zhou Jinyun's illusions.
What truly made it difficult for Zhou Jinyun to handle even with illusions was when Su Hongzhen started playing unpredictably.
When sparring with Zhou Jinyun, his slashes no longer always aimed at where his eyes told him Zhou Jinyun was.
Su Hongzhen began to anticipate.
He would occasionally slash at the air beside Zhou Jinyun, and his slashing movements were also highly deceptive.
This made Zhou Jinyun's illusions less deceptive and more like rock-paper-scissors.
You guess—is what you see the illusion or the real me?
You guess—is the direction I slash at the position where I see you in my eyes?
This strategy of Su Hongzhen's undoubtedly limited Zhou Jinyun's illusions to some extent.
Because of this, in her bouts with Su Hongzhen, the real Zhou Jinyun was no longer as composed as she appeared.
Zhou Jinyun could no longer suppress her cultivation below the Martial Spring Realm to defeat Su Hongzhen in combat.
She had to use her realm to overpower him.
Suddenly, Zhou Jinyun raised her head, as if waking from a dream.
"How is it?"
Chen Yan said slowly.
"Found it."
Zhou Jinyun nodded.
"I'm curious about one thing. Since you can use Mirage Palace's illusions to control animals…"
Chen Yan paused slightly:
"Then what about controlling people?"
"Senior, that is the greatest taboo of Weaving Dreams Tower's illusions. If any disciple dares to attempt it, the least consequence is having their cultivation crippled, and the worst is being executed on the spot."
Zhou Jinyun said seriously.