After traversing through the great void for a while, Ye Hui returned to his own Baiye Mountain. There, Guan Gongxiao was kneeling before a stone stele at the mountain's summit, his forehead pressed tightly to the ground as he spoke with utmost respect, "Greetings to Daoist Master. Your disciple has failed in his duties. We suffered casualties, lost men, and even misplaced a dharma artifact. I beg the Daoist Master to punish me!"
"Silence." Ye Hui raised a hand to stop him and frowned. "This matter is not your fault. Our objective was achieved, and Profound Peak Gate suffered heavy losses. We reclaimed the territory we were meant to reclaim. It's only three dharma artifacts, and not ancient ones at that."
Guan Gongxiao kowtowed repeatedly, wanting to say more, but Ye Hui swept him aside with a wave of his hand. A moment later, even his shadow had vanished.
"A pity about Guan Kan... he was an old veteran, yet he was killed by Li Zhouwei. Still, he served his purpose to the end. It's not a loss in the grand scheme."
Ye Hui poured himself a cup of tea by the table. After fifteen minutes, someone stepped out from the great void. The Daoist Master who appeared wore a robe embroidered with cloud patterns. His face was kind and gentle, like that of a benevolent elder of a family, though his eyes were narrow. He sat down by the table, his mood seemingly pleasant.
After all the circling and scheming, this old thing finally got his way.
Ye Hui inwardly held nothing but displeasure, yet outwardly he smiled and said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Changxiao!"
This man was none other than Changxiao, master of Changxiao Gate. It was once a name that had resounded far and wide of a man who had carved his way through the three sects and seven gates to achieve the Purple Mansion Realm.
Changxiao smiled faintly. "Greetings, Daoist friend. How fares your cultivation of the third divine ability? The Purple Mansion Threshold is difficult to cross, take care."
Ye Hui smiled without answering and asked instead, "It has been many years since I last saw Fellow Daoist Chengyan. How is he faring these days?"
Ye Hui had arrived in Jiangbei later and had not been involved in the Anhuai Heaven affair, though he had heard bits and pieces. He bore no grudge against Chengyan; he simply detested fools and could not resist bringing him up.
Changxiao understood the barb in his words and replied casually, "Him? He raised a promising disciple a few years ago, one who seems on the verge of bearing fruit. Since then, he's been reluctant to leave the sect until he has perfected his second divine ability..."
Ye Hui hesitated for a moment before finally steering the conversation back to serious matters, "We've spent considerable effort on this, and my side has sacrificed more than a few people. The goal has at last been achieved. Daoist friend, can you see it clearly now?"
"I have seen it clearly." An odd expression, tinged faintly with excitement, appeared on Changxiao's face as he nodded. "Li Zhouwei is indeed tied to the destiny of Metallic Essence. I used my Life Divine Ability to witness from afar; it was the form of the White Qilin itself. All these years of suspicion truly had a basis. At last, we have a lead!"
Ye Hui seemed uninterested in his excitement and said in a measured tone, "To help you confirm this, I provoked the Li Family for no good reason, lost an elder, disgraced myself, and failed to fracture Profound Peak Gate. I'm letting unforeseen variables arise. The price I paid was steep."
"You have truly troubled yourself, Ye Hui!" Changxiao was clearly in high spirits. He laughed heartily and cupped his hands in thanks, "Sima Boxiu is always on guard against me, and several families around the divine lake hold resentment as well. Without your righteous aid, it would have been quite difficult for me to uncover the truth on my own!"
Ye Hui, seeing him circle around the topic without getting to the point, lost his patience. He offered a polite smile and asked, "Fellow Daoist Changxiao, can you now hand me the Crimson-Headed Profound Soul?"
" Eh ... no need to rush!" Changxiao chuckled twice before answering, "This matter is not yet over... and you have yet to fully refine your third divine ability. Crossing the Purple Mansion Threshold is no easy task, after all."
He paused, then changed the topic, "Descending Souls is a Life Divine Ability, and there are many Dao lineages in Jiangnan and the like. You've never cultivated it all these years, surely because you disdain those lineages and have something far better on hand. To even go so far as to need a treasure like the Crimson-Headed Profound Soul, I imagine it would take at least forty or fifty years of difficult work. Why such urgency? Once this matter is resolved, I will, of course, hand the item over to you."
Old fox; nothing but empty promises.
Ye Hui was dissatisfied but could only nod in agreement as Changxiao continued, "You may not have heard, but I have received word that the Bei Sea Dragon King has been inactive for many years. The thunder will soon subside, and the situation will grow far more complicated then. We would do well to settle this matter quickly, then retreat into seclusion for a few years."
Ye Hui himself was a cultivator of the Eastern Sea, so how could he not know? He replied, "That hardly counts as news."
Changxiao understood his temperament well and said simply, "But I do have a piece of good news to share with you."
He smiled. "Xuan Yi[1] and Chunyi Dao have come to blows, and their battle shakes the very seas. Even the Reef Sea Dragon King had to intervene to stop them. If this is true, then we need not concern ourselves with Jingyi Mountain in future matters."
This piece of news finally made Ye Hui nod in satisfaction. Xuan Yi was not a small figure, and if the cultivators of Jingyi Mountain had come forth, even his Capital Immortal Dao might not have been able to match them. But now that Xuan Yi was embroiled in trouble, it was unlikely that Jingyi Mountain's direct descendants would emerge, and that could only be considered good news.
After exchanging a few more words with Changxiao, Ye Hui politely saw him off. When he returned to the table, his expression darkened as he stared gloomily in the direction Changxiao had departed.
Only after a long while did he murmur softly, "If the Crimson-Headed Profound Soul weren't so difficult to obtain, if that old fox weren't the only one in Douxuan to have a portion, I wouldn't have to endure his coercion like this.
"It's a pity that far too many arts within my Douxuan Dao lineage have failed and too much spiritual qi has vanished. Otherwise, I wouldn't have fallen to this state. The Douxuan Grotto Heaven opens so rarely, who knows when the next time will be? Waiting is not an option."
He exhaled deeply, rubbed the center of his brow, and ground his teeth. "That old thing must be doing this on purpose... The enmity with the Li Family grows deeper and deeper. When the day comes that we openly tear off our masks, even if that old fox gives me nothing, I'll still have to help him deal with the Li Family!"
In all honesty, Ye Hui had no desire to target the Li Family. Having them block the Azure Pond Sect and the Golden Feather Sect was not a bad thing in itself. But Changxi had kept stirring up trouble behind the scenes, and Changxiao had pressed him relentlessly. Ye Hui was deeply displeased, yet there was little room left for retreat:
"Some things still need to be done. Stall Li Ximing and try to handle this gently. As long as Si Boxiu isn't dead, don't push him too hard..."
The Li Family feared Ye Hui, but little did they know that this Purple Mansion Realm Daoist Master of the Capital Immortal Dao also held a deep wariness toward them. Even in the battle just now, he had not gone all out as he was merely humoring Changxiao and fulfilling a mission to buy time.
"If I push Li Ximing into Si Boxiu's arms and force the Li Family back into the Azure Pond Sect's embrace, then I can forget about even the slightest foothold in Jiangnan. Si Boxiu will make sure the Li Family relies entirely on the Azure Pond Sect and will intervene forcefully. Once that man steps in, I can abandon any hope of claiming even the treasures of Mount Xiaoshi!
"Besides... I came to Jiangbei to establish a sect, not to make enemies! That brat Li Ximing isn't even a hundred years old yet. If Li Zhouwei doesn't handle things properly... that's an even greater cause for concern..."
Ye Hui pondered silently for a long time before finally setting down his jade cup and drawing out his dharma sword as he muttered, "Eliminating Kong Haiying can only be done through Xuanmiao Temple. Removing him will not only rid me of a hidden threat but also sow discord between Xuanmiao and Moongaze. Sumian is a peace-seeker by nature, so this will not be difficult."
1. Daoist Master of Jingyi Mountain ☜