At almost the exact same moment, four figures nearby turned their gazes toward Li Yuanjiao, their eyes cold and piercing. Various lights swirled within their pupils, deflecting all illusions outside the boundary of the mirror. Lu Jiangxian’s heart felt as if it had been struck by an avalanche, his mind reeling with terror, Green Pine Temple! They orchestrated this trap! It was all to lure me here!
Lu Jiangxian held his breath and steadied himself, his mind going blank. He remained utterly silent, but fortunately, he did not project the scene to Li Yuanjiao, who remained completely unaware. Li Yuanjiao continued to fly freely within the palm of the entity, navigating the wind without suspicion.
As the initial shock subsided, Lu Jiangxian calmed himself and thought swiftly, No, this isn’t about me… They’re here for the heir of Green Pine Temple, and for Yingze. I’ve only stumbled into their plan by accident. I almost exposed myself!
He kept his eyes shut for over ten breaths, straining to suppress his thoughts. A moment later, a voice, neutral and metallic, like molten gold mingling with lead and mercury, broke the silence, "Taiyuan, what is going on?"
The jade crown above Taiyuan True Monarch’s head began to glow faintly, and the silver-white pupils of his eyes shifted slightly. His ethereal voice replied, "It is nothing… I saw him peering over from a distance and decided to test him. As it turns out, he is a descendant of Li Qianyuan of Bright Yang. It is only natural he would sense something."
Though Taiyuan True Monarch’s tone was calm, Lu Jiangxian felt a platinum-white force streak into Li Yuanjiao’s mind like a bolt of lightning, ruthlessly scouring through his memories.
Li Yuanjiao remained completely unaware, the talisman seed in his sea of qi flickering faintly as he glided farther away on the wind. Lu Jiangxian, his initial panic somewhat subsiding, looked more closely and saw a golden figure slowly manifesting upon Taiyuan’s shoulder.
The figure bore an identical appearance to Li Yuanjiao, though its eyes glowed golden-white, and suspicion was etched across its face. The figure gripped a long sword tightly, poised as if ready to strike, yet stood frozen like a sculpture.
"Taiyuan!" A muffled voice came from the north. Suddenly, white mist surged from Taiyuan’s shoulder, dispersing the golden figure into dust and smoke.
"Li Qianyuan treated you well," the voice intoned.
Taiyuan True Monarch’s silver-white pupils moved again, and the sound of clashing metal seemed to reverberate faintly between heaven and earth. He spoke slowly, "If not for Bright Yang’s kindness to me, there would be no Li Family in Moongaze Marsh."
As Li Yuanjiao flew away into the distance, Lu Jiangxian felt a chilling emptiness settle over him. The voices of the five True Monarchs faded from his hearing, leaving only the sight of their towering figures, which seemed to pierce the heavens and earth. Like gazing upon ants, they watched the busy cultivators scurrying on the island below.
Fortunately, I didn’t let Li Yuanjiao see this scene. If he had, the five would surely have noticed immediately… And who knows what Li Yuanjiao would become after a glimpse of the Golden Core Realm cultivators… Lu Jiangxian heaved a sigh of relief.
Had Li Yuanjiao been aware of this situation, he would likely have lost his sanity on the spot, exposing himself to the True Monarchs. Concealment would have been impossible.
What made Lu Jiangxian even more cautious was the realization that the Green Pine Temple, in the eyes of Golden Core Realm True Monarchs, was nothing more than bait. Its sole purpose was to lure out the cultivator known as Yingze, someone with countless ties to the temple. Five True Monarchs had stationed themselves there, patiently waiting for Yingze to fall into their trap.
If that’s the case, the area around Green Pine Temple is already a perfect snare. It’s impossible to enter freely anymore. Lu Jiangxian could almost foresee the consequences: the grotto heaven of Green Pine Temple surrounded by five True Monarchs, their gazes fixed on it. If Li Yuanjiao revealed his presence, the True Monarchs would immediately break into the grotto heaven, and the Li Family at Moongaze Lake would face utter annihilation.
The image of the five towering figures with their glowing pupils lingered vividly in his mind. Although Lu Jiangxian believed he could find an entrance, the overwhelming pressure made him hesitant, "How can I, under the eyes of these five True Monarchs, let Li Yuanjiao stroll into the grotto heaven as if it were his own home? That would be suicidal!"
The components he had obtained from Yu Muxian represented his only chance, and Lu Jiangxian was unwilling to let it go. As he scanned the island, his gaze slowly focused on a youth wielding a golden hammer.
————
Li Yuanjiao was equally troubled. The Immortal Mirror had failed to pierce the veil of the grotto heaven, signifying that his plan to enter had failed. The task would fall solely to Li Xuanfeng.
However, whether Li Xuanfeng alone could kill Yu Muxian was uncertain. Lacking swordsmanship skills, Li Xuanfeng would struggle to unleash the full sword intent of the Qingche Sword. Furthermore, he needed to keep his bow drawn at all times for suppression, making it nearly impossible to focus fully on an attack.
As he flew in frustration, repeatedly searching with the Immortal Mirror, he suddenly froze. His eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. "Tu Longjian! He is here!"
The youth no longer bore the ragged appearance he once had. Dressed in luxurious feathered robes, wielding a golden hammer, and standing atop a dark flying shuttle, he now exuded an air of wealth that outshone Li Yuanjiao, a head of a family clan.
Though his attire had changed significantly, his face was unmistakable—still carrying traces of youthful naivety. Memories of the time when an unnamed rogue cultivator defeated a devil cultivator flooded back to Li Yuanjiao. Comparing it to the descriptions from back then, he felt sure this was the same person.
"I spared his life back then… I wonder if these so-called Fated Ones honor their promises." Li Yuanjiao deliberated briefly before gritting his teeth, "At this point, I have no choice but to try. I have always avoided becoming entangled with these people, but there is no other option now."
Though he intended to call in his favor, Li Yuanjiao approached the matter methodically. Instead of flying directly over, he took out the Profound Patterned Bottle from his sleeve.
Years ago, he had used this artifact to conceal his presence and identity before Tu Longjian. Pouring out the bottle’s contents, he summoned the Profound Patterned Spirit Mist, enveloping himself completely.
Feigning nonchalance, he drifted on the wind toward the island, wandering aimlessly while subtly closing the distance to Tu Longjian.
Along the way, he encountered a few groups of rogue cultivators, but his cautious approach allowed him to evade them. The Profound Patterned Spirit Mist concealed his presence, and no one detected him. Ř𝘼𝐍òʙĘȘ
Eventually, he reached the island’s western side, where a patch of sandy ground had erupted. Flames and baleful fire spewed forth from a fissure in the ground, reaching heights of eight or nine chi. Black and red flames mixed with the choking fumes of fire baleful qi. Li Yuanjiao paused, his expression slightly odd.
"It seems Tu Longjian’s path will bring him right past here..." With the Immortal Mirror’s aid, Li Yuanjiao had a complete view of the island, enabling him to discover this small fire vein. His spirits lifted as he casually made his way over, arriving ahead of Tu Longjian. Sitting cross-legged, he took out a jade bottle.
He performed a qi gathering method, and the flames and baleful qi from the vein surged toward him, drawn into the jade bottle in long trails of black and red, forming a slender vortex.
Working at a deliberate pace, Li Yuanjiao waited patiently for Tu Longjian to arrive.
Within a dozen breaths, a figure clad in black feathered robes and standing on a flying shuttle appeared in the distance. The youth carried a long golden hammer over his shoulder and glanced over casually.
Ah, this fire vein is perfect for refining the Fiend Fire Spirit Source. Tu Longjian took a few steps forward, noticing a cultivator extracting the fiend fire near the vein. At first, the figure’s concealment artifact made him hard to spot. However, as golden light flickered in Tu Longjian’s eyes, he discerned the grayish-white Profound Patterned Spirit Mist surrounding the figure.
"Huh?" Tu Longjian froze for several breaths before his expression shifted to surprise and delight, "Finally, I have found this senior!"