Azure Pond Sect.
The main hall of Azure Pond Sect was grand and towering, shrouded in ethereal mist. White jade steps led upward and radiant spirit lamps glowed brightly. White spiritual qi flowed like fog. Chi Zhiyun was descending the steps when he saw a middle-aged man approaching with steady, relaxed steps. He simply asked, "What is it?"
The man was naturally Ning Hejing. He clasped his hands and replied, "Reporting to the sect master, the people from Green Pine Island have returned... They met a few individuals. Li Xizhi’s younger sister said he went to the Han Family but has since disappeared.
"Later, others went to the Han Family, but that family claimed Li Xizhi had left early and only sent some Han Family members to investigate the Qunyi Sea."
Ning Hejing paused, then continued, "Following the trail, we heard that Li Xizhi had accepted an invitation from Kong Tingyun of Profound Peak Gate and went to Xia Mountain to gather Dawn Colored Qi on behalf of Daoist Master Changxi. As for the two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators of the Han Family, they are most likely already dead."
Chi Zhiyun listened quietly, his expression somewhat intriguing. He merely asked, "So you're saying Li Xizhi never went near Thundercloud Temple, but instead went straight to Profound Peak Gate... Interesting."
Ning Hejing bowed his head in response, then heard Chi Zhiyun murmur, "Could it be that Changxi made a move?"
A hesitant look appeared on Ning Hejing’s face, but Chi Zhiyun quickly shook his head and said, "It likely wasn't that Daoist. He hasn't cultivated a Life Divine Ability and wouldn't dare meddle in Azure Pond’s affairs..."
Both of them were direct disciples of an immortal sect, with elders from the Purple Mansion Realm in their families. So they were well-versed in Purple Mansion divine abilities and the various Purple Mansion Realm cultivators of Jiangnan.
Though all Purple Mansion Realm cultivators forged divine abilities, not all abilities were of the same type. They spanned a wide range which included Body Divine Ability, Life Divine Ability, and Eye Divine Ability... each possessed its own marvels, but the most crucial was the Life Divine Ability.
The Life Divine Ability was key to how Purple Mansion Realm cultivators touched upon fate. It resembled many techniques of Buddhist cultivators. It could confuse the heart and question the mind, subtly influence the course of events or discern traces of omens to deduce the truth.
Though it was rare for Purple Mansion Realm cultivators to clash outright, except for those few at the peak, it was only those with a Life Divine Ability who could truly be considered players in the game. It was a true threshold.
Because each sect’s Daoist Masters wielded different divine abilities, the immortal sects also varied in strength. For example, Purple Smoke Gate had two peak Purple Mansion Realm Daoists and was vaguely considered the strongest beneath the top three sects. Meanwhile, the weakest, Snow Ji Gate, had its Purple Mansion Realm cultivator missing for years and even its disciples no longer dared show their faces.
Several of Azure Pond Sect’s Purple Mansion Realm cultivators possessed Life Divine Abilities. Back then, among the so-called Azure Pond Three Primordials, Yuan Su was the most renowned. He was known not only for his immensely powerful seal, but also for his divine ability, Spring’s Echo of the Pristine Water, which was both a Body and Life Divine Ability. It was an exceedingly mystical art.
As for Daoist Master Changxi, his cultivated divine ability was Fool's Mountain Chase , a rare art-type divine ability that was not suited for offense. In recent years, he’d stagnated due to the lack of techniques and had always been the most unassuming among the seven sects. Naturally, Chi Zhiyun had no reason to suspect him.
After pondering for a moment, Ning Hejing asked, "Could it be Daoist Master Chuting...?"
At the mention of Xiao Chuting, both of their expressions grew uneasy. Xiao Chuting had not appeared in years, yet he remained a figure that inspired apprehension.
This Daoist Master had clawed his way into the Purple Mansion Realm from narrow odds, struggling with every step. But later, he moved with grace and ease. By now, he had become someone all sides sought to win over.
Chi Zhiyun's expression darkened but he still shook his head and said softly, "If Xiao Chuting had made a move, it wouldn’t need to be done like this... Besides, he’s been in the Northern Sea this whole time, likely with Yuan Xiu over in Cangzhou. There's no way he could be manipulating events in the Eastern Sea from across thousands of miles..."
Ning Hejing fell silent for several seconds before finally saying, "I don’t understand how he dared go to the Northern Sea!"
Chi Zhiyun replied in a low voice, "It’s the grand occasion of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator attempting a breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm. Xiao Chuting wouldn’t want to miss that. Besides... his cultivation is aligned with Pit Water, and Cangzhou has the strongest Pit Water. This is a rare opportunity for him."
Ning Hejing parted his lips slightly, his voice barely above a whisper, "What you say is true, sect master... but... Xiao Xianyou’s death back then was suspicious, it was likely at the hands of Shangyuan. The ones below dare not speak of it, the Xiao Family dare not acknowledge it, but Xiao Chuting must know! If I were him, I wouldn’t even dare set foot in the north..."
Chi Zhiyun’s expression turned worse as he replied curtly, "Enough talk! How many were involved in the Donghua and Li Jiangqun affair back then? It wasn’t just Xiao Xianyou, even that one from Purple Smoke Gate was part of it too. Yuanwu, Yuan Xiu... which of them didn’t have a hand in it? There’s no reason he wouldn’t dare to go to Yue Cultivating Sect.
"Shangyuan was brought up by Donghua... but would he dare do anything? If you ask me, even if he became a Golden Core Realm cultivator, he wouldn’t dare say much about this matter..."
Ning Hejing could only nod repeatedly. As the two briefly touched upon events from centuries ago, a chill ran through their hearts. Chi Zhiyun reined in his emotions and came to a conclusion, "If Li Xizhi truly didn’t go, it’s ninety percent likely due to coincidence... but there’s still that sliver of possibility..."
Ning Hejing nodded slightly and spoke in a low voice, "It’s also possible the man was just putting on a show... He never truly intended to investigate Yuan Tuan’s case, which is why he let himself get sidetracked so easily... After all, once Yuan Tuan died, Qingsui Peak fell into his hands."
Chi Zhiyun nodded ambiguously, seemingly holding back other thoughts. He waved Ning Hejing away and sat alone in his seat.
After waiting a moment, he rose on the wind and flew to the top of Azure Pond Peak. There, white mist cloaked the summit and clouds drifted dreamily. He entered the veil and made his way to the deepest part of the cave dwelling.
At the deepest point was a clear, luminous pool. Chi Zhiyun examined the surroundings carefully and then gently formed a spell seal.
Lines of glowing inscriptions lit up rapidly across the cave’s stone walls, spreading densely to seal off the inside from the outside. The faint fluctuations they gave off were immensely powerful. It was a Purple Mansion Realm formation that even isolated the surrounding void.
Only then did Chi Zhiyun bend down, eyes burning with fervor as he gazed at the deep pool. After waiting for a full quarter-hour, a reflection slowly emerged in the once pitch-black water.
Though above the pool was nothing but bare blue rock, the water reflected a small tree that was silver-white and dazzling. Delicate and beautiful leaves shimmered like silver threads, rising and falling gently with the ripples in the pool.
Soft moonlight began to drift outward. Chi Zhiyun gazed silently at the small tree within the pool as he calculated the days in his mind and his heart filled with growing joy. He murmured, "It’s close... so close... it’s about to bear fruit... Buzi hoarded them every time, no matter how much I begged, he wouldn’t give me even one. But now that bastard has gone missing. At last, I have the chance to consume this fruit... just a little more time..."
As he calculated silently, the small tree within the pool stretched gently as if it was breathing. It released a soft and radiant moonlight shine. Around the pool’s edge, wisps of orchid grass sprouted which exuded a pleasant fragrance.