Han Chengxian wore a gentle smile, playing the role of the perfect listener. The more he listened, the more certain he became that the woman before him could be used. She was consumed by obsession, and where there is obsession, there is weakness. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

As he listened, Han Chengxian occasionally praised Song Zhi’ang’s talents while subtly belittling Meng Wanshu. “She’s nothing more than a childhood sweetheart. The things she’s been through with him may not even compare to yours.”

Song Zhi’ang felt that he understood her perfectly.

Meanwhile, Duantai Yiting had taken the initiative to seek out Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi had just returned to Jade Teapot Peak, planning to rest briefly before heading to the Purple Spirit Paradise Realm. He hadn’t expected the purple-robed old man to come looking for him.

Because of Li Shenzhi, Li Guanqi was already in a foul mood. He frowned at the smiling elder standing in mid-air. “Do you need something?”

Duantai Yiting’s expression didn’t change despite the cold greeting. “Nothing much. I just feel there may have been some misunderstandings between us. I’d like to talk.”

Li Guanqi sneered. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

He raised a terrifying lightning domain over Jade Teapot Peak, shutting the door on all visitors.

The outright rejection made Duantai Yiting’s face twitch. The passing disciples quickly hurried away. Though visibly unsettled, he kept his voice calm. “It’s understandable if you’re not in the mood today. I’ll come again another day.”

Inside the domain, Li Guanqi frowned and muttered, “Hmph. Who knows what he’s plotting.”

News of the incident quickly spread throughout the sect. The former sect master, Duantai Yiting, had tried to extend goodwill, only to be turned away at the door. Li Guanqi had not even allowed him to set foot on the cultivation peak.

Li Guanqi sat alone atop the mountain for a long time, calmly considering how to deal with the hidden enemy. “Sword Spirit... I think the other side has already started confirming certain things. Otherwise, they wouldn’t keep testing me again and again.”

Sword Spirit’s voice echoed in his mind, grave and steady. “That’s right. And if the one behind all this really is who I suspect... then things are going to become troublesome.”

Li Guanqi frowned. “Why?”

Inside the sword coffin space, Sword Spirit’s expression turned extremely serious. “If it really is him, his schemes will become far harder to guard against and more concealed than ever. That person is a born strategist. Suspicious, calculating, and utterly ruthless.”

A chill ran down Li Guanqi’s spine. A man like that... there could not be many, even in the Immortal World.

Sword Spirit continued, “If it is him, more people will soon sense that something is wrong. By then, your enemies will only multiply, especially those lurking in the shadows.”

The weight of it pressed down on Li Guanqi. He remembered Sword Spirit telling him that descending came at an enormous cost for immortals, but even so, they retained terrifying power. “Looks like... I need to grow stronger.”

He would never allow the Daxia Sword Sect to fall into ruin, nor would he accept a future in which the people around him died because of him.

After leaving Jade Teapot Peak, Duantai Yiting chose not to return. Instead, he visited Lu Kangnian.

When Lu Kangnian heard how Li Guanqi had treated Duantai Yiting, he deliberately left Duantai Yiting waiting outside for five or six hours. Yet, Duantai Yiting stubbornly refused to leave.

Only when night fell did Lu Kangnian step out of his study, feigning surprise. “Oh? Old Sect Master, what are you doing here? How long have you been waiting?”

Duantai Yiting forced a smile. “Not long. Just six hours.”

Lu Kangnian’s eyes went wide. “Six hours? That’s practically a whole day! You should’ve called out.”

Barely suppressing his irritation, Duantai Yiting replied, “I did call! I knocked too!”

Lu Kangnian chuckled. “Ah, I must’ve been too focused on my work to hear.”

Eventually, he invited the old man inside. Duantai Yiting sincerely expressed his wish to contribute to the sect, stating that he no longer desired power.

Lu Kangnian sneered inwardly. People don’t change that quickly.

Still, having an extra Illusory Refinement Realm expert as free labor wasn’t a bad thing. He assigned the old man a pile of thankless but necessary tasks. To his surprise, Duantai Yiting accepted them all.

After the old man left, Lu Kangnian sat quietly, staring at the spot where Duantai Yiting had stood, a faint, knowing smile on his lips.

Elsewhere, in an ancient clan domain concealed within the void, demonic qi surged into the heavens, blackening the sky. Corpses littered the ground, dried and shriveled, their essence devoured by Abyssal Demons.

A young man in tattered white robes stood amidst it all, his gaze sharp as a blade. With a flick of his purple cloud fan, entire groups of demons exploded. Chan Kongzi had lost count of how many he had killed. His expression darkened as he eyed the last few demons. Ahead of him lay a massive abyssal rift that spanned hundreds of zhang.

A violent aura erupted from him. The folding fan spun in his hand and shot out as a streak of golden light, only for three Abyssal Demons to block it together. None of them noticed that the refined and elegant Chan Kongzi had already shed his upper robes, revealing a lean, muscular frame. The folding fan was gone too, replaced by a pair of purple-gold knuckle dusters.

Boom!

Golden patterns spread across his arms like armored gauntlets. He licked his lips, eyes blazing with fighting spirit. “Come, come... let’s see if I don’t smash every last one of you to pieces today!”

Boom!

The domain shattered as he charged forward like a primordial beast, smashing a demon apart with three punches before diving straight into the abyssal rift itself.