The person arriving was none other than Madam Ruan Yaoguang, a senior member of the Ruan family who had accompanied Ruan Yushu to the Maoling Dajue Temple.
In her youth, she had been a renowned beauty throughout the Jiangdong region. Later, after suffering a broken heart, she remained unmarried for life and paid little attention to her outward appearance. She was Ruan Yushu’s great-aunt.
Behind Ruan Yaoguang came Jiang Zhiwei, dressed in a light yellow dress, and Ruan Yushu, wearing flowing white skirts. One was brightly attractive and carried a sword, while the other was cool and elegant, holding a qin. They walked gracefully forward like twin lotus blossoms. Combined with the hazy clouds, misty rain, and ethereal atmosphere, they truly resembled fairies descending from heaven.
“So it’s Miss Jiang from the Xijian Pavilion. No wonder, no wonder…” Wang Siyuan saw the two girls walking together amicably and immediately understood, “I was just wondering why Yushu younger sister’s visit to the Dajue Temple for prayers and vows would coincide so conveniently at this moment…”
“This is getting interesting…”
The last few words were directed at Meng Qi. A strange flush appeared on his pale face, revealing a hint of madness, and his eyes gleamed frighteningly.
Jiang Hengchuan’s expression was strange, filled with disbelief. Normally, he was known as the “Star Lord Wenqu.” Even when encountering the most unexpected situations or facing the most desperate circumstances, he should remain calm, use his intellect, and seek opportunities for escape. He absolutely shouldn’t lose his composure like this, as if his very limits had been shattered.
“How could this happen… how could this happen…” he muttered to himself, as if trapped in a nightmare.
Responding to his “question,” Meng Qi smiled lightly and said, “It’s just that Zhiwei happened to be traveling nearby, so I asked her for help. She secretly followed Xiao Zhenhai while I acted openly, drawing attention and diverting his gaze. Who knew she would discover Xiao Zhenhai’s secret meeting with the Snake King? So she sought help from Miss Ruan and Madam Ruan to wait for the right moment to catch them all at once. Now, it seems the result has been quite effective.”
This is an ace up my sleeve—you’ll never guess it…
“It’s impossible… impossible…” Jiang Hengchuan still couldn’t believe it.
Ruan Yaoguang tapped her dragon-headed staff, “Are you talking about that ‘everything normal’ hidden signal outside? Of course, I waited until they were about to enter the mansion before taking action.”
Originally, Jiang Hengchuan had been looking around to check for hidden signals. Fortunately, Meng Qi had been relieved to find the mark of success that Zhiwei left at the alley entrance. Without confidence in the plan, he would never have ventured into the mansion with someone harboring ulterior motives.
Jiang Hengchuan regained his composure but still furrowed his brow, deep in thought, “This is impossible… impossible…”
Ruan Yaoguang showed slight irritation, “That demon’s martial arts may indeed be strange and powerful, but capturing him was still effortless for me.”
She thought Jiang Hengchuan doubted her ability to capture Old Zhong.
She was a master who had reached the third level of the Outer Manifestation Realm, no weaker than Wang Buchi. Even if Old Zhong was an outstanding practitioner among those approaching the Outer Manifestation Realm and had obtained a treasure weapon, since he had not yet fully integrated with the weapon and was ambushed by an opponent several levels higher, his quick defeat was entirely predictable.
Wang Siyuan’s face flushed with excitement, “Madam Ruan, that’s not what he disbelieves.”
“As part of the test, there must be examiners, right?”
Hearing this, Ruan Yaoguang paused, “Are you saying that there should be another Outer Manifestation Realm master on Old Zhong’s side? Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have succeeded?”
“Precisely,” Meng Qi answered, looking at Wang Siyuan, “No matter how secretive an organization is, they wouldn’t treat a Dharma Body’s mansion so casually, using it merely for testing purposes—it would be too wasteful.”
Turning to Jiang Hengchuan, he continued, “You set up a false trail, luring Prince Wang into your trap, tying up Master Ren. Besides completing your own ‘test,’ you were also creating favorable conditions for the ‘examiner’s’ final move, right? What you can’t believe is why Old Zhong was captured by Madam Ruan while the ‘examiner’ remained completely inactive!”
Jiang Hengchuan had regained his composure and returned to normal, no longer dazed. He looked at Meng Qi and Wang Siyuan with an investigative gaze, “Yes, I don’t understand why the ‘Star Lord Ziwei’ didn’t act. Failing the test is better than suffering heavy losses…”
There was no time for Fire Virtue to rescue him. Who could have predicted this beforehand? Besides, with me nearby, the ‘Star Lord Ziwei’ shouldn’t have needed to intervene. If he had been in danger, I would have pretended to assist Su Meng, creating an opportunity for Fire Virtue to escape. Who could have guessed that Su Meng would kill so quickly!
Meng Qi smiled like a sly old fox like Duan Xiangfei:
“Of course, someone else was holding that senior back.”
Wang Siyuan was slightly taken aback, “You know who?”
Not only do I know, but Zhiwei and Yushu know too, otherwise they wouldn’t have dared to confront Old Zhong so recklessly, Meng Qi thought to himself. Smiling, he said, “Of course, this is all thanks to Prince Wang’s hint.”
“You figured it out?” Wang Siyuan’s face paled further, his flush deepening, his whole demeanor unnaturally excited.
No… but I can deduce it… Meng Qi inwardly chuckled, then solemnly asked, “Where is the Wolf King?”
“He’s where he should be,” Wang Siyuan’s expression grew more frenzied, his tone colder.
“I had previously thought that Prince Wang wouldn’t stoop to lying, since the truth alone could achieve his goals. When you said the Wolf King was in the Northern Street, I believed he was indeed there, so we went there, encountered the Snake King, and uncovered Old Zhong. But thinking in reverse, could the Wolf King hiding in the Northern Street have been a deliberate setup? Otherwise, considering the vastness of Maoling and the many hiding places available, it’s odd he chose the Northern Street. Of course, the Northern Street is chaotic, so hiding there is understandable, which is why Brother Jiang didn’t suspect anything.”
Meng Qi, holding a large cleaver weighing over seventy-five kilograms, continued speaking calmly.
“I first assumed it was a coincidence and that Prince Wang wouldn’t lie. That easily led me to conclude that the Wolf King hiding in the Northern Street was your arrangement. Once I realized that, I also understood why the Wolf King would recklessly attack the direct disciple of the Xuantian Sect without fear of being unable to escape Jiangdong. Previously, while he was crazily bloodthirsty, he rarely targeted those he shouldn’t have, a habit that wouldn’t fundamentally change just because he came from the grasslands to Central Plains.”
“He must have been intercepted by you as soon as he entered Maoling, striking a deal. He helped you attack Qingyu secretly, while I was probably just an opportunistic target along his way back, fulfilling his love for slaughter. But why did you want the Wolf King to attack Qingyu? You were probably testing something, weren’t you?”
Wang Siyuan began coughing violently, blood staining his handkerchief bright red. It took quite a while before he finally stopped:
“I discovered something, so I tested it. Then I felt even more confident about the matter concerning the Dongyang Mansion. I planned to seize a formal member of this secret organization at this opportunity.”
“I never expected you to deduce things to this extent. I must admit, I underestimated you.”
The look Wang Siyuan gave Meng Qi now was more level and respectful.
It’s not deduction; I first suspected Qingyu was problematic, then figured out the rest… Meng Qi calmly accepted Wang Siyuan’s praise.
Jiang Hengchuan muttered, “How come I didn’t notice anything suspicious about Qingyu that required testing…”
That’s an ace you can’t guess… Meng Qi answered silently in his mind.
As Jiang Hengchuan finished speaking, the sky suddenly tore open, a deep fissure appearing high above. It split through the outer perimeter of the mansion, connecting to endless darkness.
From the darkness emerged a figure clad in a purple imperial robe, standing in midair. Every acupoint on his body radiated brilliant light, coalescing into a divine form.
The divine forms, woven from starlight, were dazzling and pure, numbering exactly three hundred and sixty-five, forming the pattern of the celestial constellations. They swayed, creating their own starry sky, causing the entire mansion to tremble.
“Star Lord Ziwei…” Jiang Hengchuan whispered.
The purple-robed emperor threw a punch, and the three hundred and sixty-five divine forms simultaneously struck. The starry sky trembled, dazzling light bursting forth, nearly overturning heaven and earth.
Facing him was a Daoist priest with white hair and a youthful face, holding a long saber shimmering with waves of light.
As the saber swung, all colors vanished from Meng Qi’s vision—reds, greens, purples, yellows—all disappeared. The world turned black and white, everything froze, motionless like a still painting, even Meng Qi’s thoughts slowed to a crawl like a snail!
It was unknown how long passed before Meng Qi’s senses returned. The sky was as hazy as before, and the two figures had already moved elsewhere in their battle.
Jiang Zhiwei stared at the sky, her expression slightly ecstatic, as if that single saber stroke had touched upon her cultivation of the Twenty-Third Sword.
Meng Qi had seen the Daoist priest once before from afar—he was the Zhenzhuo Daoist of the Xuantian Sect, a master ranked among the Earth List!
Previously, when Qingyu mentioned discovering two lost techniques of the Celestial Court—the “Nine Flames Heaven-Sundering Art” and the “Returning to Hiding All-Encompassing Cultivation”—Meng Qi had already felt something was off. It was easy to associate the lost techniques of the Star Lord Wenqu and the Fire Virtue Star Lord with the “Myth” organization. Would the Xuantian Sect not have made similar associations?
Back then, within the Grand Hall of the Shaolin Temple, Jiang Zhiwei had personally witnessed and heard the senior members of various sects discussing the mysterious organizations “Myth” and “Fairy Traces.” The Xuantian Sect, especially after Qingjing’s death, had developed a deep hatred for them. Zhenzhuo Daoist was known for his fiery temper. If he had found a clue, would he really just send Qingyu alone to investigate without further support?
Based on this understanding, during their time in the Reincarnation Space, Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei had jointly concluded that Qingyu was suspicious and that the Xuantian Sect must have a backup plan!
Since this involved the secret discussions of that time, unless there was a traitor, the Myth and Fairy Traces organizations couldn’t possibly have known about it. Therefore, how could Jiang Hengchuan have guessed that Qingyu, who seemed the most harmless, was actually the most dangerous!
As for divination by masters of the Earth List, given their strength, it might not be entirely accurate.
Thinking back to Qingyu’s sparring with him and his behavior when ambushed by the Wolf King, Meng Qi couldn’t help but sigh again—life was indeed like a play, all depending on acting skills. Even a little Daoist could be so “cunning”!
Just then, the Jinshui River surged, a great tide about to break, and the peculiar gate of the inner mansion suddenly emitted a hazy green glow.
The Dongyang Seal fragments on Jiang Hengchuan, Ruan Yaoguang, and Qiu Fei suddenly lost control, transforming into streams of light that flew toward the gate!
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