Outside the Mission Pavilion of the Xuantian Sect.
The square, paved with blue stone, was crowded with people. Disciples accepting missions hurried back and forth. Lin Langtian stood beside a stone lion, his back ramrod straight.
One hand rested on the sword at his waist. The knuckles of his fingers were raised, and the veins on the back of his hand stood out clearly.
Liu Ruyan stopped three paces away. Her soft white robes snapped in the mountain wind. She took half a step forward, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but Lin Langtian raised a hand to stop her.
“The matter concerning Netherworld Valley ends here.”
Lin Langtian’s voice was low and his tone flat, revealing no hint of emotion.
“A-Tian, you have to believe me. It really wasn’t me.”
Liu Ruyan clenched her teeth, forcing the words through them. “That strand of hair and the traces at the scene were all fabricated. We traveled together for half a month. When have I ever left your sight?”
Lin Langtian lowered his eyes, his gaze settling on the embroidered patterns along the hem of Liu Ruyan’s skirt.
The five hundred years of slaughter in the Southern Border during his previous life had taught him the most important lesson of all: never trust anyone’s words.
The Heavenly Soul Origin-Restoring Pearl was an unparalleled treasure capable of repairing the soul. Yet it had vanished without a trace precisely when he needed it most, and precisely at the scene, they had found a strand of Liu Ruyan’s hair.
There were too many coincidences. Together, they became a plot.
“You went to the black market the day before yesterday.”
Lin Langtian raised his eyelids and looked directly at Liu Ruyan. “What did you buy?”
Liu Ruyan’s breathing hitched.
She had gone to the black market at the instruction of Canglan Spirit Venerable, who resided within her ring, to search for several unconventional spirit herbs that could stabilize her cultivation.
The matter concerned her greatest secret. She could never reveal it to anyone else.
That moment of hesitation, however, appeared to Lin Langtian as an admission.
Lin Langtian withdrew his gaze and turned to leave, his strides long and decisive.
“Lin Langtian!” Liu Ruyan called from behind him.
The man did not turn back. Only a sentence, carried by the wind, reached her ears.
“From now on, we’ll take separate paths on sect missions. Take care of yourself.”
Lin Langtian had originally intended to force Liu Ruyan to hand over the item.
But he had not done so—not because he was softhearted. At the moment his killing intent arose, he had faintly sensed that Liu Ruyan seemed to possess some hidden trump card.
After weighing the matter, he decided to let it go for the time being.
Liu Ruyan remained where she stood, her hands clenched tightly within her sleeves. Blood seeped from her palms, yet she did not notice.
She could not understand it. Everything had clearly been progressing in a positive direction, so why did unexpected changes keep arising?
“Yan’er, don’t let your anger get the better of you.”
Canglan Spirit Venerable’s weathered voice echoed in her mind. “This boy’s destiny is unusual, and he is deeply suspicious by nature. Forcing an explanation will only make matters worse. For now, your priority is to increase your strength. Later, you can help him find an even better treasure.”
Liu Ruyan closed her eyes and forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart before turning onto another path.
Within the Xuantian Sect.
On an ancient cypress tree that would have taken several people to encircle, Ye Wushuang leaned lazily against the trunk, basking in the sunlight.
Ye Wushuang leaped down from the tree and dusted off her hands, in an excellent mood.
There was no denying it—trust between people was truly fragile.
Especially when it came to two people blessed with the destiny of Great Emperors. Pride ran through their very bones.
All it took was a few carefully placed insinuations at critical moments, and the two of them would seal off each other’s paths out of their own accord.
Ye Wushuang walked around the Mission Pavilion and followed the mountain path toward the outer sect.
She had come out today not only to watch the show, but also for another purpose.
While she had been in the tree, her divine sense had detected the extremely well-hidden fluctuation of a transmission talisman. It had been headed straight for the rear mountain of Servant Peak in the outer sect.
She was very familiar with the spiritual energy frequency of the transmission talisman.
It belonged exclusively to the Ye family.
In an abandoned mine on the rear mountain of Servant Peak, the environment was dark and damp, and moss grew there all year round.
Ye Wuming kicked away a fragment of stone at his feet. It struck the rock wall with a dull echo.
His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles heavily shadowing them. His entire body exuded an oppressive gloom that seemed impossible to dispel.
Ever since Ye Wushuang had defeated him with a single sword strike during the Sword Canon trial, cracks had begun to form in his Dao Heart.
Every night, whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the Dragon Emperor Sword being severed and Ye Wushuang’s mocking expression.
“Third Young Master.”
A thin, shifty-eyed man slipped in through the mouth of the cave.
He wore the uniform of a servant disciple of the Xuantian Sect. His steps were unsteady, clearly marking him as a low-level cultivator who had scraped by at the bottom of the sect.
“Did you get it?”
Ye Wuming stepped forward and seized the man by the collar.
The skinny man gave an awkward laugh and pulled a palm-sized bronze mirror from his robes.
The surface of the mirror was mottled, while its edges were engraved with complicated runes. Faint streams of light flickered across it.
“It took me a tremendous amount of effort. This Heaven-Peering Mirror is a prohibited item on the black market. It can reveal the origin of a cultivator’s qi sea. No matter what demonic technique she practices or what ancient monster she has hidden inside her, as long as she’s illuminated by this mirror for a single breath, none of her secrets will remain hidden. Of course, there are some aftereffects…”
Ye Wuming snatched the bronze mirror away, rubbing his fingertip across its rough surface.
“That wretched Ye Wushuang was treated worse than a dog for more than a decade in the Ye family. Why did she become an unparalleled genius the moment she left?”
Ye Wuming ground his teeth, his face twisting viciously. “She must have allied herself with some demon or heretic. As long as I expose her true nature with this mirror on the arena, the Sect Master will never let her off!”
The skinny man rubbed his hands together and looked at Ye Wuming expectantly. “Third Young Master, about the rest of the payment…”
Ye Wuming tossed over a heavy bag of spirit stones.
The man caught it and weighed it in his hand, his face breaking into a broad smile. “The young master is certainly generous. However, the Heaven-Peering Mirror has to be set up around the arena in advance and activated with a formation. Young Master Ye Wujiang’s arena battle is set for three days from now. As for arranging the formation…”
“Handle it. And make sure you leave no traces.”
Ye Wuming waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.
The mine fell silent once more.
Ye Wuming raised the Heaven-Peering Mirror and stared at his own distorted face in its reflection. A low, hoarse laugh rolled from his throat.
Outside the mine, beneath a withered tree, Ye Wushuang stood in silence.
With the Divine Concealment Art cultivated to perfection, she had completely merged her aura with the surrounding vegetation.
Furthermore, the strength of her soul allowed her to harmonize even more perfectly with the aura of nature. Once hidden, she could not be discovered even by a cultivator at the perfected Violet Palace realm.
Every word spoken by the two people inside the cave had reached her ears without omission.
The Heaven-Peering Mirror?
Ye Wushuang raised a hand and stroked her chin thoughtfully.
She had read about this item in an ancient book in the Xuantian Sect’s Scripture Repository. It was a single-use consumable, similar to the forbidden Soul-Seeking Art, capable of forcibly reading the secrets of another person’s soul.
The prerequisite was that the target’s soul realm had to be lower than the caster’s. Otherwise, the backlash would be severe. In mild cases, the caster’s soul would be damaged; in severe cases, the caster would be reduced to an idiot.
Ye Wuming was only at the True Essence realm. Even with the amplification of a formation, at most he could unleash power equivalent to the Profound Connection realm.
Not to mention that the system was concealing her presence as well.
Trying to deal with her was simply a fool’s dream.
However, since Ye Wuming was so intent on harming her, wouldn’t it be a waste not to put on a little performance and repay her dear little brother for all his painstaking efforts?
