However, Yu Yufeng had already flown away on the wind. Yu Mugao, his mouth filled with blood, found to his dismay that his mana flow had been halted by Yu Yufeng's strike. He attempted a couple of spells but failed to lift off, calling out a few times in futility before giving up.

Yu Mugao spat out the blood in his mouth, spraying red droplets everywhere. Looking back, he found himself standing on the rock platform below the hall, disheveled, covered in dust, and the front of his clothes now stained with blood. His bare feet were planted on the ground, a far cry from the refined young master he once was.

However, he did not care as he stood dazedly in the open space, feeling utterly lost. He gazed at the gloomy sky, the dark night swirling between the mountain peaks. His heart felt empty as he stood there barefoot.

Slowly, his uncles and brothers caught up, buzzing like a swarm of bees.

"Mugao! This was a joyous occasion; how could you speak like that!"

"The ancestor is merciful! It's fortunate that Brother Mugao is unharmed!"

Yu Mugao, body hunched and heart burning with anger, could only grit his teeth and endure such embarrassment. With a long sigh, he let two streams of tears flow down his cheeks and cried out to the heavens, "This is beyond human control! What can we do? What can we do..."

The noise behind him continued. Furious, Yu Mugao drew his sword with a swift motion, glaring at the Yu Family members like a tiger. They immediately fell silent, lowering their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Yu Mugao's lips trembled for several moments before he finally threw the sword to the ground with a clang and roared, "Get out!"

The Yu Family uncles and brothers scattered immediately, as though caught in a whirlwind. Some lifted their robes and ran while the others flew away. Yu Mugao stood there for a while more, still dazed, before finally covering his face and weeping loudly.

"Muyuan... I have lost you! Who else can I rely on to manage these fools..?"

Li Tongya and the others landed on the small hill. Nanshan Weng took out twelve formation flags and several jade slips, distributing them with a smile, "Brother Taojing and I will place the flags at the Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li positions. You two place the flags at the Zhen, Xun, Gen, and Dui positions. The hand seals and incantations are in these jade slips."[1]

Xiao Chuchou and Li Tongya nodded, turning around to fly off in their respective directions. Li Tongya studied the jade slip for a moment, confirming the Zhen position, and placed the flag there. Xiao Chuchou also arrived on the wind, and the two of them cast spells to fix the flags in place.

While performing a series of hand seals, Xiao Chuchou glanced at Li Tongya and said in a low voice, "Do you have any doubts, fellow Daoist Tongya?"

"Indeed, I do…" Li Tongya replied as he nodded, casting the spell before continuing, "In the presence of the ancestor, I dared not speak. I cannot understand why Yu Yufeng, who is known for his steadfast seclusion, would come westward."

Li Tongya had his suspicions but continued with polite words in order to prompt Xiao Chuchou's explanation.

Xiao Chuchou laughed heartily and said, "The Daoist Master's divine ability, derived from Man on Creek, is unique in Yue State and Jiangnan. His life divine ability possesses various wonders, one of which can arouse greed and anger, creating illusions to lure and tempt people… This is why Yu Yufeng could not resist coming. He has been obsessed for years, deeply ensnared by the spell. Unless someone with great power can stop him for a moment and give him a hard slap across the face, he will not wake up."

Li Tongya felt a chill down his spine. Such divine ability able to manipulate others so easily, was merely one of its abilities. He sighed deeply and said quietly, "We are like dogs and horses beside a crumbling wall, or fish and shrimp in a cave… so insignificant compared to those in the Purple Mansion Realm."

Xiao Chuchou gently shook his head and replied, "To arouse greed and anger, creating illusions… it is all just a minor application of this divine ability. Yu Yufeng's mind was already clouded and his spirit was muddled, hence making it easy for him to fall into the trap. Used in ordinary situations, it would only influence someone's thoughts slightly or make them prone to rash and impulsive actions."

Li Tongya nodded slightly, his heart filled with great fear, growing more and more unsettled. He thought to himself, Guiding inclinations... Who but those in the Purple Mansion Realm can perceive it? Who knows how many big and small affairs Xiao Chuting has already secretly influenced over these past ten years?!

A large cluster of doubts surfaced in his mind, and Li Tongya pondered silently, The Yu Family has been wasting time with the eastern families for twenty years, creating never-ending waves of trouble. Though the Fei Family frequently caused problems, how much more capable could Fei Wangbai be compared to Yu Mugao? Yet, they always managed to evade responsibility…

Lu Sisi spent his entire life preparing many contingency plans in the Ding, Li, and An families, even in the Mushroom Forest Plain. Why did all his plans turn to dust in one night when he died? The three families attacked the Lu Family simultaneously, with no regard for consequences, as if they had planned it together...

Li Tongya's hand, which was hidden in his sleeve, trembled slightly. Even his facial expression distorted slightly, evidence of his fear. He quickly lowered his head to hide his emotions.

While these suspicions could be dismissed as mere paranoia, there was one inference he couldn't shake away, one that convinced him Xiao Chuting was behind it all.

Years ago, the An Family occupied the Lu Family's old nest, Mount Tiaoyun. Without a second thought, An Jingming handed Mount Tiaoyun over to the Ding Family, leading Ding Xiding to enter Moongaze Lake...

Where was Mount Tiaoyun located? Right at the border between Moongaze Lake and Mushroom Forest Plain! The Ding Family occupying this spot effectively blocked the An and Li families from moving east along the Guli Road to encroach on Mushroom Forest Plain and Lixia Prefecture, cutting off their path to the Xiao Family.

The Ding Family had long been the gatekeepers for the Yuan Family. The Yuan Family had numerous Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, and Yuan Tuan, a senior sister of Li Chejing, was now the head of Qingsui Peak, where the Li Family intended to send their disciples.

Unless the Li Family occupied Mount Tiaoyun first, it was nearly impossible to start a conflict with the Yuan Family over that desolate mountain. This left the Xiao Family free from geographical conflicts with the Li Family.

No wonder... No wonder they want my family to send disciples to the Azure Pond Sect; it all fits together...

The intricate connections made Li Tongya's heart tremble with fear, deeply unsettling him and leaving him momentarily dazed.

Looking further back, the eastern invasion of Mount Yue, Jianixi's suicide, the destruction of the Moongaze Lake market—each event has suspicious points... Xiao Chuting... Xiao Chuting... what a masterful Man on Creek! What a terrifying man Xiao Chuting is!

"Fellow Daoist? Fellow Daoist Tongya?" Xiao Chuchou's voice called out twice, startling Li Tongya back to reality.

He quickly apologized, saying with a bitter tone, "I was lost in thoughts about the mysteries of the Purple Mansion Realm and its various divine abilities, and was momentarily distracted. I am truly sorry!"

Though he spoke these words, Li Tongya was inwardly struck by a realization, thinking, That day when I broke into the Lu Family and learned about Jianixi's matter as a Purple Mansion ritual, I felt the sky darken and light vanish, leaving me at the mercy of the Purple Mansion Realm! Over the years, as my cultivation grew, I distanced myself from worldly matters… feeling a faint sense of freedom. Yet, I am still but a small shrimp in a cave, foolishly thinking otherwise!

Even though Xiao Chuting had subtly aided his family, it still left Li Tongya deeply uneasy. He suppressed these thoughts as Xiao Chuchou laughed heartily and said, "The Purple Mansion Realm is naturally wondrous! In ancient times, it was called 'Divine Refinement,' meaning to cultivate divine abilities, famed for its many marvels!"

"Divine Refinement..." Li Tongya echoed, quickly adjusting his mindset as he responded with a smile, "Such hidden truths exist!"

"That's right," Xiao Chuchou infused the final incantation into the formation flag, completing the setup of this formation eye alongside Li Tongya. They then rode the wind to the next Gen position to place another flag.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to gather more information, Li Tongya could not help but ask further as they continued soaring through the air, "Senior, with your extensive knowledge, could you tell me the names of the other realms?"

"Ah," Xiao Chuchou nodded slightly and replied, "In ancient times, the Embryonic Breathing Realm was called Chakra Nourishment, the Qi Cultivation Realm was known as Qi Ingestion, the Purple Mansion Realm was termed Divine Refinement, and the Golden Core Realm was referred to as Seeking Essence. These descriptions were more aligned with the cultivation processes. After the conflict between the immortals and devils, not only were there changes to prevent others from stealing their traditions, but the techniques also evolved to include many cryptic terms and jargon. Even the realms became different and much harder to understand."

As they talked, they finished setting up the last formation point and flew back to the small hill, where the swordsman, Chen Taojing, and Nanshan Weng were already waiting. The four of them concealed themselves and quietly awaited Yu Yufeng's arrival.

1. Refer to translator's thoughts. ☜

Crow's Thoughts

Eight Trigrams directions: Qian, Kun, Kan, Li = Southeast, northeast, south, north. Zhen, Xun, Gen, Dui = West, northwest, southwest, east.