Realizing he couldn’t overcome the ghost, Tao Feiwen once again attempted to strike with thousands of swords, but the sword shadows were deftly parried by the Yin energy spear in the hands of the female ghost.

“Why did you come to ruin my good deeds?” Tao Feiwen withdrew his spiritual sword, glaring angrily at the female ghost.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Cheng Qi asked, “Tan Eyu, who have you become this time?”

“I am the Marquis of Zhenbei in the Yuanzhen Dynasty.” Tan Eyu glanced sideways at Cheng Qi; her eyes gleaming with a sinister aura that sent a chill down her spine.

Only then did Tao Feiwen notice Cheng Qi’s presence and realized that the female ghost was under his command.

Spotting Cheng Qi, Tao Feiwen recalled Li Tianyan, gritting his teeth before suddenly smiling oddly. “Perfect timing.”

With those words, Tao Feiwen summoned a foundation-establishment puppet, his expression smug. “Since you’ve walked right into my trap, don’t expect any mercy.”

The puppet launched an immediate attack, and Tan Eyu engaged it head-on. However, the puppet’s resilience proved formidable, leaving Tan Eyu struggling to make headway.

“He’s truly from the Shura Sect,” Cheng Qi exclaimed in surprise as he recognized the familiar puppet.

Cheng Yu shook his head. “I tried to test him with the secret passcode, but he didn’t recognize it at all. He shouldn’t be a spy for the Shura Sect.”

“But this puppet is identical to the evil cultivator puppet we encountered in the sea,” Cheng Qi pointed out.

Cheng Yu pondered this revelation. “If we can defeat Tao Feiwen, perhaps we can uncover the truth about his puppet.”

Initially speculative, Cheng Yu’s suggestion sparked enthusiasm in Cheng Qi. He swiftly coordinated with Tan Eyu to devise a plan: capture Tao Feiwen and deploy a similar puppet simultaneously.

Cheng Qi controlled his puppet to confront Tao Feiwen’s, while Tan Eyu attacked Tao Feiwen directly. Cheng Qi wielded a long whip to assist in restraining Tao Feiwen.

Observing the puppets locked in combat and Cheng Qi and the female ghost teaming up against Tao Feiwen, Cheng Yu was momentarily stunned. He had never anticipated this side of Cheng Qi…

Seeing Cheng Qi’s puppet appear, Tao Feiwen hesitated briefly. Caught between the two assailants, he realized he had lost his chance to escape, unable to activate his teleportation talisman in time.

Ultimately, Tao Feiwen found himself ensnared by the combined efforts of Tan Eyu’s forbidden spirit net and Cheng Qi’s whip, immobilized and unable to break free.

“What are you planning to do? If you dare to kill me, you’ll face immediate consequences upon leaving this secret realm,” Tao Feiwen warned, feeling the constraints of the spirit net limiting his movements.

Cheng Qi paid no heed to his threats and questioned, “How did you come to possess such a puppet?”

“What do you mean? What’s your connection to this puppet?” Tao Feiwen countered, baffled by Cheng Qi’s puppeteer skills.

“Let me ask you again, where did your puppet come from?” Cheng Qi stared at Tao Feiwen with a pair of black eyes for a moment, and the spiritual power on his body spread out in layers, attempting to hypnotize him.

“It was Duan…” Tao Feiwen’s eyes clouded momentarily, but he quickly snapped out of it and regarded Cheng Qi warily.

Seeing his hypnosis attempt fail, Cheng Qi curled his lips and said, “My puppet was snatched from an evil cultivator of Shura Sect. This thing belongs to the Shura Sect. What is your relationship with the Shura Sect?”

“I am from Biluo Immortal Sect. How could a member of an Immortal Sect be involved with the Shura Sect? Don’t slander me,” Tao Feiwen said through gritted teeth.

“You may not be involved, but someone from Biluo Immortal Sect might be,” Cheng Yu interjected, joining the conversation. He turned to Tao Feiwen and continued, “What do you think? Do you suspect collusion between someone in Biluo Immortal Sect and Shura Sect?”

“What are you implying? Do you think someone from our Biluo Immortal Sect is in league with Shura Sect?” Tao Feiwen smiled coldly. “You underestimate Biluo Immortal Sect if you think we are as incompetent as Tianfan Immortal Sect.”

“If my guess is correct, your puppet was given to you by Duan Hong,” Cheng Yu stated. “He is your father’s adopted son, someone with power in Biluo Immortal Sect, and your follower. If he’s a spy for Shura Sect, what would that mean for Biluo Immortal Sect?”

Cheng Yu had learned about various sects, including Tianfan Immortal Sect, during his previous inquiries. He recalled hearing Tao Feiwen mention Duan Hong moments earlier, prompting his suspicion.

“Duan Hong is just a lackey my father keeps. You give him too much credit,” Tao Feiwen sneered.

“Really? If he wasn’t so capable, why would Tianfan Immortal Sect inform several major sects about the puppet while you received no news at all?” Cheng Yu said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tao Feiwen’s contemptuous expression softened slightly.

Seeing Tao Feiwen’s reaction, Cheng Yu suddenly sensed potential usefulness. “Think about it. If he truly supported you and used his strength to breach the training tower, would he really lose to Liu Zhou? Perhaps he intended for you to lose. Only after you lost did you harbor resentment toward Tianfan Immortal Sect. You targeted them throughout the competition, inciting disciples to actions that fueled conflict between our sects.”

“Moreover, using your own methods, you severely injured Tianfan Immortal Sect disciples in a surprise attack. You ordered the unmasking. Damaging a disciple’s Dantian was probably not your idea. So, who instigated Biluo Academy disciples to do that?”

“They were just trying to gain my favor,” Tao Feiwen dismissed lightly.

“So, you admit to orchestrating your disciples to destroy someone’s Dantian?” Cheng Yu frowned at Tao Feiwen.

“I…” Tao Feiwen faltered.

“If disciples from other sects witness you using this puppet for malevolent deeds and leaving the secret realm, Biluo Immortal Sect will face public condemnation. If you have ties with Shura Sect and meet someone with old grudges, they will attack you mercilessly.”

Cheng Yu paused before adding meaningfully, “If you were to die in the secret realm, with Sect Master Tao’s love for you, he would undoubtedly spark conflict with multiple sects. What would happen then?”

Cheng Qi widened his eyes upon hearing this, realizing the gravity of the situation.

Cheng Yu looked at the bewildered Tao Feiwen and smirked coldly, “Your arrogance and haughty demeanor might as well have been cultivated by Duan Hong on purpose.”