Immortal of the Nine Realms

Returning to the abandoned mansion, Fang Chen furrowed his brows in deep thought.

Something was off—very off.

He always felt that there were contradictions hidden within these clues.

With a single thought, two more heads sprouted from his shoulder. He wanted all three heads to contemplate the matter together.

"The origin of this incident lies in the battle at Hidden Cloud Region; because of Jing Yuehan's intervention, it indirectly caused the Spirit Blood Sect's scheme to fail."

"Thus, the Spirit Blood Sect sought revenge against the Void Immortal Sword Sect by using Gai Wu as a pawn to target Fairy Yu during a visit to the sect, provoking conflict."

"The instigator was captured, and the Void Immortal Sword Sect discovered that he had spent time in Li Xiao."

"If the person were under Yu Qingmei or her older brother, the Radiant Sun Spirit Lord, why would they allow Gai Wu to become a pawn?"

"This traitor comes from the Spirit Blood Sect, but… is not a member of the Yu Family. Yet he has spent time in Li Xiao…"

"Now that the Void Immortal Sword Sect is aware of the Spirit Blood Sect's presence in Li Xiao, they will take action against it. The elders and the nine peak masters are not to be trifled with."

"What will happen if they target Li Xiao?"

"They might uncover people from the Spirit Blood Sect hiding within Li Xiao?"

"But this traitor is originally from Spirit Blood Sect. Why would he expose himself and lead the heat toward Li Xiao?"

"Was it… internal conflict?"

The three heads exchanged glances.

Fang Chen finally realized what was amiss. This situation seemed to have a different purpose. It appeared that the Spirit Blood Sect was retaliating against the Void Immortal Sword Sect by inciting Gai Wu to target Fairy Yu. And in reality, this planted a seed, allowing the Void Immortal Sword Sect's focus to shift from the Heavenly King Zhen Manor to the Li Xiao Empire.

Gai Hong's visit as well as his conversation with Qin Hucheng both hinted at this; even the Killing Spiritual Division is questioning the matter and suspected Li Xiao.

"If we talk about the battle at Hidden Cloud Region, the Spirit Blood Sect's greatest hatred should be directed at me. Yet they chose to retaliate against the Void Immortal Sword Sect. This point had not been considered in detail before; it indeed reveals a hint of irrationality."

"No, no, there's another thing… Who was the main instigator behind the Hidden Cloud Region plot? If it was the Radiant Sun Spirit Lord, it might make sense for him to be angered by the Void Immortal Sword Sect's interference, to the point of sacrificing his own nephew as a pawn."

"Wherever there are people, there will be a Jianghu. [1] This saying applies equally to the cultivation world, and the Spirit Blood Sect is no exception. Shen Ji once said that the Spirit Blood Sect was about to make a big move to assist a certain Profound Immortal in ascending to become an Immortal King."

"If a Profound Immortal becomes an Immortal King, it will undoubtedly trigger some conflicts of interest. Within the Spirit Blood Sect, perhaps some are unwilling to see this happen and want to obstruct the ascension."

"Yu Qingmei's older brother practices in the Desolate Academy's Alchemy Department. The likelihood that he is the Radiant Sun Spirit Lord is over ninety percent, and he is also the key to that Immortal's ascension to become an Immortal King. He needs to refine the Blood Spirit Pill…."

"Is it the Li Xiao Emperor the one meant to ascend? He is the greatest backing for the Yu Family within the Spirit Blood Sect?"

"Someone must have started plotting this matter after the failure in the Hidden Cloud Rregion, or perhaps even before that. Perhaps they've been secretly scheming and conveniently using this incident as a cover?"

Fang Chen dispersed his Three Heads and Six Arms form and began to piece together the clues before him, gradually understanding the situation.

Assuming the Li Xiao Emperor was a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect, his status as a Profound Immortal should be significant within the sect. With such status, he would undoubtedly have enemies. After all, the Blood Spirit Pill is a crucial item for the advancement of cultivators in the Spirit Blood Sect.

With this as the core interest, different factions would inevitably produce friction and conflict, even plotting against each other. This is precisely the kind of tactic the Spirit Blood Sect cultivators excelled at—using their own methods against their own people.

The enemies of the Li Xiao Emperor, knowing his plans to ascend to Immortal King in the coming years, might have started scheming early, ultimately directing the attention of the Void Immortal Sword Sect and the Killing Spiritual Division toward the Li Xiao Empire.

"If this is true, the other side must have further plans, and with the appearance of Gai Wu in the Li Xiao Empire, there should be some level of vigilance as well. But this is essentially an open scheme; as long as someone wishes to ascend to Immortal King, they have to step into this circle….

"Forget it, my cultivation is too low to be of any help. After I kill Gai Wu, I'll inform Shen Ji about the news of that Radiant Sun Spirit Lord in the Desolate Academy, and let those big shots handle the rest."

Fang Chen shook his head with a smile. He wasn't arrogant enough to think that with his current cultivation, he could get involved in such high-level conflicts.

As long as he conveyed the information he knew to the Shen Ji, it could certainly irritate the Spirit Blood Sect. If they faced internal strife or if the Killing Spiritual Division or the Void Immortal Sword Sect caused a Profound Immortal to be unable to ascend to Immortal King, that loss would be far greater than simply killing a few hundred or a thousand Spirit Blood Sect cultivators.

Creak.

A very faint sound of a door opening broke the silence, followed by a young man slowly entering the deserted courtyard, gazing up at the bright moon in the sky.

Fang Chen was slightly taken aback. "Gai Wu?"

The person who entered was indeed Gai Wu, who had just returned not long ago. He had expected Gai Wu to stay in the palace tonight, not thinking he would come here.

Does this uninhabited courtyard belong to Gai Wu?

"Why haven't you shown yourself?" said Gai Wu softly.

Fang Chen furrowed his brow; he knew Gai Wu wasn't referring to him. He turned his gaze to a certain spot and saw a young man appear. He was exuding an air of confidence as he approached Gai Wu at his own pace.

"Your brother will be investigating here in the next few days. How you let him discover any clues depends on your skills," said Qin Hucheng with a smile.

Hidden in the shadows, Fang Chen's expression turned unsightly. He never expected Qin Hucheng to appear in Li Xiao, nor did he expect that he and Gai Wu… would seem so familiar with each other.

"Don't worry. For this matter… I've paid such a huge price that I absolutely won't let his plan fail," said Gai Wu with a self-deprecating smile.

Qin Hucheng chuckled lightly. "Have you thought it through? It's your family's ancestor who wants to ascend to the Immortal King."

Gai Wu glanced at him. "At this point, you're still testing me? Don't forget, my surname is Gai, not Yu. I am also a follower of that great one; only he has the right to rule the world."

"Very well. If this plan succeeds, the great one will surely see you as a confidant, just like me." Qin Hucheng smiled. "Has the journey been smooth so far? I thought my junior brother might have come to find you since he's not in the capital."

"With Gai Hong accompanying me, how would he dare to look for me?" Gai Wu replied indifferently. "If you have time, you could probe him a bit to see if he would be willing to join us."

Qin Hucheng frowned slightly. "Him?"

Gai Wu nodded. "Yes. I can see that Fang Chen harbors many secrets and may not truly be loyal to the Void Immortal Sword Sect. In this era, the great one needs talents like him to fulfill his wishes."

"Don't test him lightly." Qin Hucheng shook his head slightly. "I quite like this junior brother of mine. If you test him and he refuses, he will become an enemy that needs to be killed. I wouldn't want to see that happen."

A slight smirk appeared at the corner of Gai Wu's mouth, his eyes flashing with a hint of cold mockery. "You like him? Heh, if he knew that the initial idea was yours, do you think he would kill me first or you first?"

"Whether he kills me or you, with his current strength… it's impossible. Moreover, he wouldn't know about this matter." Qin Hucheng looked at Gai Wu and clasped his hands together. "I'll take my leave now. The rest is up to you."

Gai Wu nodded lightly. "Go ahead."

After Qin Hucheng left, Gai Wu stood alone in the courtyard, admiring the moon.

"The moon is very round tonight," he admired.

After saying that, he turned and left.

Throughout this entire time, Fang Chen chose not to make a move, despite the excellent opportunity.

It was because of Qin Hucheng's words. "Whether he kills me or you, it's impossible with his current strength."

Fang Chen stood there expressionlessly. Since Qin Hucheng had seen him and knew of his strength, for him to say such a thing meant that Gai Wu possessed something that ensured his safety, enough to make him feel confident.

A self-deprecating smile appeared on Fang Chen's face. "Senior Brother Qin… if it weren't for this… I would quite like you too."

1. Referring to the fact that there will be conflict as long as there are humans. ☜

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