As soon as the words left her mouth, lightning streaked across the high mountain night sky.
Liu Guan’s eyes flashed with a piercing brilliance, cutting through the shadows and locking onto the female cultivator.
Confronted with such an intense, soul-penetrating gaze, Murong Qingyan responded with a composed smile, perfectly embodying the role of a capable messenger. Once she relayed the message, her task was complete.
After a long moment, laughter spilled from the shadows. “Good, very good! Gui Lingzi, you’re a true friend!”
Liu Guan erupted into unrestrained laughter, his voice reverberating across the mountaintop and echoing thunderously. He showed no concern about whether his presence might be discovered by the people in Cliff City below.
At this time, the snow fell heavier, and the wind carried swirling snow fog that spread for miles. Looking down upon Cliff City, the view was a vast expanse of white, with much of the newly built city’s twinkling lights obscured by the storm. In such conditions, the unusual occurrences atop the mountain went unnoticed.
Liu Guan continued laughing, venting his emotions.
Meanwhile, Murong Qingyan’s thoughts wandered briefly. She understood the origin of this storm:
“Is it the Soul-Freezing Curse of Yin Ice? Drawing Yang Qi with Yin Qi, severing souls… If the spell succeeds, the caster’s cultivation will improve. But a snowfall like this means that three or four out of every ten commoners in the city will fall ill, and the frail might not survive the winter.”
She cast a sidelong glance at the shadowy figure beside her and shook her head. This person had been reckless back then, and now, a hundred years after his confinement had ended, his temperament had only grown worse.
Liu Guan’s laughter gradually subsided.
Murong Qingyan raised her delicate eyebrows slightly and asked, “So, does Senior Liu agree?”
“Of course! Of course, I agree! I absolutely must go back and see the expressions on those old b*stards who exiled me back then!”
Liu Guan’s emotions soared to a peak, but then he suddenly paused and shifted his tone, “Unfortunately, not yet.”
“Oh?”
“Two little pests are buzzing around in front of me. Do they think I can’t catch them?”
As he spoke, Liu Guan grew excited again, though this time it wasn’t the wild joy from before. Instead, he resembled a predator pursuing its prey, exuding a heavy sense of bloodlust. “If they dare use that vile woman’s name to provoke me, they must be prepared to be crushed!”
“That vile woman?”
Murong Qingyan’s bright eyes flickered, but she refrained from asking who he meant. She had already guessed the answer. After all, Liu Guan’s entanglement with Lady Huang Quan had been a well-known topic in this realm. Though the details had faded over the past century, the story remained evergreen in certain circles. As a skilled intelligence dealer, Murong Qingyan was privy to some lesser-known details of their history.
However, to avoid provoking Liu Guan into a frenzy, she deftly changed the subject. “Someone intends to harm Senior Liu?”
“They’re not qualified.”
After a pause, Liu Guan sneered. “But they’re slippery. They’ve been lurking around for a while now, appearing and disappearing. Catching them will take some effort.”
Murong Qingyan’s curiosity seemed piqued. “In the vicinity of Cliff City, aside from the Rifting Earth Sect, there doesn’t seem to be anyone noteworthy. Yet someone dares to challenge Senior Liu? If I were them, I would have fled thousands of miles away. Why linger here?”
“Precisely why they’re worth investigating,” Liu Guan replied, now resembling a cat toying with a mouse, eager to extract every ounce of enjoyment from the situation.
“Hmm. If it’s enough to intrigue Senior Liu, I can’t help but want to know as well.”
Murong Qingyan appeared genuinely intrigued.
Glancing at her from the shadows, Liu Guan smirked coldly, “As expected of an intelligence dealer. But it doesn’t matter if I tell you. I, too, want to uncover the origins of those two. It all started when I triggered the Cold Tide. While within the tide, I discovered an interdimensional passage…”
Once Liu Guan started talking, the words poured out like a torrent. Naturally restless, he had grown stifled during his time hiding and cultivating in the city. Now that he had someone to talk to, he wasn’t about to hold back. The sequence of events wasn’t complicated. Liu Guan quickly explained the situation and shared the results of his investigations over the past two months in the city:
“A young monk using the Army of Enlightened King Technique—it was none other than Zheng Yan, the chief disciple of the Pure Water Altar. However, from what I observed, it should have been his master, Monk Yixin, possessing him. With that level of soul possession spanning thousands of miles, Yixin must be at least in the mid-stage Void Stepping realm, with his Yang Spirit nearing perfection. He’s only a step away from becoming a True Immortal. Yet, in Cliff City, he’s merely the abbot of a small sect, outwardly showing only mid-stage Core Refinement cultivation. Isn’t that suspicious?”
“And that ‘Moon Demon’—a demonic body wielding Void Stepping-level power, yet using sword Qi. I suspect he’s the monk’s associate in the city, Lu Mingyue. This person, too, only appears to have initial-stage Core Refinement cultivation. Heh. With their true strength, either of them could have made a name for themselves in the cultivation world. Yet they hide here, moving covertly. There must be some grand scheme at play. If I don’t uncover their background, I won’t be able to rest easy even if I return!”
Murong Qingyan listened to the story, pondered for a moment, and suddenly chuckled: “Speaking of those two, I’m not very familiar with them either. However, I think, Senior, you’re too close to the situation and have been unwittingly drawn into their trap.”
Her words were abrupt and impolite. Liu Guan’s sharp eyes flickered as he glared at the female cultivator, but his agitation was quickly suppressed by a stronger sense of curiosity. “What does the little girl have to say?”
“I have three points; please allow me to elaborate.”
Murong Qingyan raised one finger. “First, without the inter-realm passage, even if Senior triggered the Cold Tide or completely destroyed the Eight Torment Nether Prison, it would only affect the Blood Demon Restricted Realm and have nothing to do with this realm. Thus, the inter-realm passage is the key to the turmoil in Sky Rift Valley.
“I’ve worked as a spirit medium for years, traveling between the two realms countless times. I’m somewhat familiar with inter-realm passages. Naturally formed passages do exist, but their surrounding environment is usually extremely harsh and complex, requiring numerous conditions to converge before breaking the boundary between the two realms. However, at a depth of 40 or 50 miles below Sky Rift Valley, the environment isn’t nearly as complex. The likelihood of a naturally formed passage is minimal.”
“Heh, I’ve thought about that before. I believe those two are the culprits who opened the inter-realm passage!”
The female cultivator smiled faintly and raised a second finger. “Here comes the second point. Knowing they had offended you and exposed themselves, they still lingered here instead of leaving, even flaunting themselves in front of you. This doesn’t look like the posture of someone whose scheme has been exposed. Instead, it seems like they’re deliberately luring you into a counterplot!”
“Since they understand Senior’s nature, they also know you are known for your flamboyant actions. With the Sky Rift Valley incident still unfolding, both the Rifting Earth Sect and Sunset Valley Sect are pursuing the matter relentlessly. Meanwhile, the cultivators of this realm—at least 30 to 50 percent—are paying attention. At this critical moment, if you make a big move and the flying insects, being so small, vanish without a trace, wouldn’t you, Senior, be the one exposed under the sunlight?”
From the shadows, Liu Guan murmured, “Framing and shifting blame?”
“Senior feels that explanation is a bit forced, doesn’t it?”
The female cultivator raised a third finger. “When the Monk Yixin acted, he didn’t deliberately conceal his identity. If framing and shifting blame were the goal, that would be a major flaw. Yet, they made no attempt to cover it up afterward, trapping themselves instead. Placing themselves in danger doesn’t resemble the actions of schemers but rather those of sacrificial pawns with a clear purpose. At this point, instead of carrying out their preordained plans, they’re entangling with you here. Isn’t that suspicious?
“If we follow my earlier speculation that they’re counterplotting, then your presence here, Senior, might perfectly align with their intentions. It’s precisely what they want—to muddy the waters! You are a renowned cultivator in this realm, with an extraordinary background and years in the Blood Demon Restricted Realm. If you get involved in this matter and word spreads, no matter the angle, countless threads will emerge. These conditions would serve as the best distraction, inserting confusion into what was originally a clear situation.
“I’ve dealt in information all my life, and I understand better than anyone how such situations can turn clear clues into a tangled mess. The more you try to sort it out, the more chaotic it becomes, until the truth is completely obscured. What does Senior think of this?”
Liu Guan fell silent in the shadows for a long moment before responding, “So you’re saying I’ve been set up as their scapegoat to cover their tracks?”
“If they’re sacrificial pawns, why would they need to cover their tracks?”
The female cultivator smiled serenely. “I think those two are stirring up the waters not to cover their tracks but to draw attention for something else entirely. If there is a plan or conspiracy behind this, they’re merely a single cog in the wheel. Whether they succeed or fail doesn’t matter. The real key might lie millions of miles away or hasn’t even been set into motion yet. As for what comes next, that will depend on your complete understanding of the situation in this realm before making a judgment.”
“Hmm, a far-reaching perspective. Makes sense.”
Liu Guan was genuinely swayed by her reasoning. At first, his actions were purely impulsive, driven by the grudge of having the name “Nether Realm” stuck in his throat—half in jest, half in frustration. Yet, over the past two months, not only had he failed to vent his frustration, but he had also become ensnared in this place, locked in a stubborn standoff with two “flying insects.” Looking back now, perhaps he really had been made a pawn in someone else’s game without realizing it.
He glanced at Murong Qingyan again, considering how to leverage this woman’s clear thinking to devise a better plan.
Just then, a cold wind swept through.
Atop the mountain peak, the female cultivator’s rosy face, red lips, black hair, and white dress swayed gracefully in the wind. Her serene smile carried an undeniable elegance—a sight all too familiar.
As this thought emerged in his mind, a surge of heat rushed to his head, buzzing in his ears.
“What a clever woman!”
Liu Guan’s exclamation was heartfelt.
Murong Qingyan smiled sweetly, about to express her gratitude when darkness abruptly shrouded her vision. Intense pain shot through her jaw. Liu Guan’s thumb and forefinger pinched her cheeks, forcing her red lips open, while his little finger jabbed at her throat. The sharp pain made her stick out her tongue involuntarily, struggling to breathe.
“Little girl, you probably don’t know this, but I’ve always hated w0men who are not only smart but also beautiful and articulate!”
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