“The Blood Path harms all living beings, yet it allows rapid advancement, and once formed, its combat power is formidable.”
“Precisely because of these points, those who cultivate the Blood Path are usually demonic cultivators.”
But that was not absolute.
Orthodox Blood Path cultivators did exist, though they were few.
Among the better-known ones were the loose immortal “Madam Flowerbone” and her dao companion Ku Gurong.
Bai Liuli tapped the table, signaling everyone to return to the main topic.
“Do you think that Blood Path Nascent Soul might be an enemy of the Grief Valley City Lord, come here seeking revenge?”
“Probably not. His movements are far too conspicuous. He makes no effort to conceal his own aura.”
The group speculated among themselves about the Blood Path Nascent Soul’s movements and true purpose, yet each was only groping at the elephant in the dark.
***
Liuzhou, the Sky-Tilting Cloud Sea.
This place lay in the west-central region of the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom, where cloud seas coiled endlessly and a celestial river waterfall stood upright at the very center.
The celestial river was called the River of No Crossing.
It had been formed by a Body Integration great power of the middle ancient era, and was now a landmark of the Jade Water Immortal Kingdom famed throughout the immortal world.
Atop Seeking Immortals Peak, on a modest cloud-sea viewing platform, sat three cultivators—two women and one man.
Hua Yanyun set down the teacup in her hand.
The young woman seated beside her was named Hua Sang.
“Fellow Daoist Chen Wanxiu, it has been some time.”
Hua Yanyun’s lips curved in a light smile as she looked toward Chen Wanxiu seated opposite her.
“Mm. It has been some time. For the Monarch to visit this humble place of seclusion, I have failed to greet you from afar.”
Chen Wanxiu was known as the Hidden Mist Immortal.
Of rogue cultivator origins and Body Integration cultivation, he was a figure of renown throughout the immortal world.
Yet such a person paid no heed to the dust of the mortal world, dedicating himself solely to focused cultivation.
In the past Hua Yanyun had invited him multiple times to serve as National Preceptor, only to be refused each time.
“The Monarch’s visit this time is surely not merely to reminisce about old times. There must be some other matter for which you wish me to act.”
Seeing the thought in her heart spoken aloud by Chen Wanxiu in a single sentence, Hua Yanyun merely smiled faintly.
“Truly worthy of being the contemporary South’s foremost Wisdom Immortal. As expected, you divine matters like a god. Correct. I have indeed come this time with a request.”
Hua Yanyun first offered a few words of praise, prompting Chen Wanxiu to repeatedly claim he dared not accept such flattery.
“Haha. The Monarch overpraises me. The immortal world is vast. Who knows how many old monsters of many years may still be hiding their strength? How could I dare claim the title of contemporary South’s foremost?”
“Fellow Daoist need not be so modest. Even if such old monsters as you speak of truly exist, since they have no wish to emerge into the world, they are no different from not existing at all.”
After a round of mutual courtesies, the two finally turned to proper business.
Once he had listened to Hua Yanyun’s request, Chen Wanxiu closed his eyes in deep thought.
“The Monarch wishes me to calculate He Shu’s location? That is not difficult.”
“But I must still offer a prior warning. There are many methods to obscure Wisdom Path calculations. Even a mere Foundation Establishment-level defensive measure may influence a Wisdom Immortal’s deduction and render the result inaccurate.”
Chen Wanxiu first administered a preventive dose of realism before opening his eyes to observe Hua Yanyun’s expression.
“No matter. I need only a general idea of where she is. As for remuneration, I shall have people deliver it to Fellow Daoist’s hands afterward.”
“Very well. It shall be as the Monarch says. Chen will now begin employing his methods. I must ask the Monarch to withdraw for a time.”
Withdrawal was only natural.
The means Chen Wanxiu employed were his exclusive techniques; he would not lightly allow outsiders to know them.
Hua Yanyun and Hua Sang withdrew a hundred li from Seeking Immortals Peak.
In the field of vision, starlight blazed in full glory, covering both heaven and earth.
What had been daytime one second earlier turned into night the next.
A projection of the Milky Way appeared across the night sky.
Influenced by it, continuous vortices of airflow rose within the cloud sea beneath, as though linking heaven and earth in magnificent force.
In the sky, countless heavenly qi gathered into azure currents that poured from above.
From the earth, countless earthly qi gathered into ochre currents that surged from below.
The two streams of qi interwove.
Chen Wanxiu stood proudly at the very center, at the heart of the vortex.
“Truly awe-inspiring. This scene is extremely similar to a cultivator ascending to immortality. After a hundred years without meeting, has he already probed into some portion of the mysteries of the Heavenly Dao?”
Hua Yanyun exclaimed in successive wonder at the sight.
In the Wisdom Path, Chen Wanxiu had likely already reached a rather terrifying realm!
One after another, stars in the sky suddenly erupted with dazzling starlight, then condensed into small points of light that flew toward Chen Wanxiu’s side and began revolving around him without cease.
At first the stars revolving around Chen Wanxiu numbered more than ten thousand.
Yet under continuous mutual collisions, fusion, and annihilation, they grew ever fewer.
Until at last the myriad stars left only a single lonely, brilliant purple light resting quietly in the center of Chen Wanxiu’s palm.
Divine ability—Emulate Heaven and Earth!
Having withdrawn the divine ability, Chen Wanxiu slowly descended from the air.
His broad brocade robes of carp pattern flapped loudly in the wind.
His youthful features showed no expression at all.
Only after the three of them had returned once more to the cloud-sea viewing platform did Chen Wanxiu slowly open his mouth.
“Monarch, Chen has not failed your expectations. I have calculated He Shu’s location. Yet…”
He did not continue speaking.
Instead he cast a glance at Hua Sang, who still sat beside Hua Yanyun.
Hua Yanyun understood and casually found an excuse to send Hua Sang away.
“Very well. Now it is only the two of us. Whatever you have discovered, you may speak plainly.”
Chen Wanxiu nodded.
He set down the teacup in his hand before speaking slowly.
“Does the Monarch know of this person, Hen Jiliao?”
***
“Since everyone has already discussed and settled matters, let us act according to the plan.”
Inside Shen Qingci’s room, the five people finished their discussion and rose one after another from their seats, preparing to walk out the door and each attend to their own affairs.
Yet at that very moment, a thin mist of starlight suddenly enveloped the bodies of all five.
The formation arrays within the inn room activated of their own accord, continuously resisting this force that was calculating their locations.
“What is going on? Someone is calculating our positions!”
Seeing the starlight mist upon her own body, He Shu reacted with clear-headed awareness in the span of a single breath.
She immediately issued a warning to the others.
Clearly, although the defensive formations within the inn possessed some ability to resist calculation, they were nowhere near enough.
Under the calculations of Chen Wanxiu, the contemporary South’s foremost Wisdom Immortal, they could at most produce a measure of misdirection.