Chapter 200: Chapter 89: Enemies from Zhongzhou

Wang Ping agreed with Yu Lian’s guess. A Star God whose power was infinitely close to the Third Realm, even in a half-mad state, wasn’t someone he could drive completely insane just by tossing a few Power Pills. Someone must have intentionally thrown the scene into chaos to take advantage of the situation.

The facts of what just happened all pointed to one thing: it was the work of those two Gold Cultivators.

"Something about today feels strange. Logically, for something this important, the Celestial Water Sect should have dispatched their own cultivators to guard the area." Wang Ping cast a cleansing spell on himself, removing the water from his body before landing lightly on the riverbank.

"What do you think is going on?"

"I don’t know!"

As they spoke, a glint flashed in Wang Ping’s eyes. He hid himself in the darkness. A moment later, a half-palm-sized Puppet Bird descended from the sky, hovering where Wang Ping had just been.

This was the bird Wang Ping had given to Yuan Zheng Taoist for emergency contact. But in his current state, Wang Ping didn’t dare rashly reveal himself to retrieve it. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The Investigation Array inside the hovering Puppet Bird operated for a few breaths before it ascended back into the sky.

Wang Ping moved to a new location at top speed. After confirming that no one was following the Puppet Bird, he performed two consecutive divinations before daring to reconnect with its aura.

Once he had the Puppet Bird, he didn’t linger. He used the same escape method as before, using the waterway to mask his aura as he moved quickly downstream.

Not long after Wang Ping submerged himself in the water, a figure descended from the sky. He landed on the riverbank, staring thoughtfully at the calm water. The man was thin, dressed in a tight, gray cotton training uniform. His belt was unadorned, his hair was tied up in a Taoist topknot, and his face was clean-shaven.

He was concealed within a gray halo of light, making him seem detached from the real world. This must have been achieved with the help of a special Magical Artifact.

’Quite cautious...’

As he spoke, another person landed beside him. "A very pure Wood Spirit Qi," the newcomer said. "It matches Changqing’s profile."

"To find him this time, we activated all our hidden contacts in Hu Mountain Country. If we let him escape, the losses would be considerable." The first man to arrive spoke coldly, "Master and Eldest Martial Uncle are competing for a spot in the Fourth Realm, and Changqing has become the most unstable factor. Although Master doesn’t care, we must consider things for his sake. Therefore... failure is absolutely not an option this time."

"Don’t worry. We have another lead. We even used the ’Heaven-Reaching Talisman’ granted by Daoist Xiu Yu to conceal our auras. There’s no way anything will go wrong."

...

Following the signals he had marked previously, Wang Ping navigated through several small waterways and came ashore at a hiding spot he had prepared a month in advance.

"Quick, see what the message is!" Yu Lian urged.

Wang Ping looked up at the sky, then concealed himself in the darkness before taking out the Puppet Bird. He first inspected it to see if it had been tampered with. After confirming it was safe, he opened the mechanism on its chest. Inside was a secret letter written by Yuan Zheng Taoist in their meeting code.

The letter contained a single sentence: Withdraw first; I will find a way to get the Holy Heart Grass I promised you.

There was no explanation for why he should withdraw, but something big must have happened. As Wang Ping was lost in thought, a flash of lightning as thick as a water bucket streaked across the sky from the direction of Biyou Mountain, followed by a deafening BOOM.

"That’s the Yuqing Sect’s Thunder Technique," Yu Lian reminded him. "And it’s Celestial Thunder that communicates with the Heaven and Earth Rules. That’s at least a Third Realm Cultivator."

’How did the Yuqing Sect get involved? What on earth did they do?’ As Wang Ping wondered this, another bolt of Celestial Thunder flashed across the sky, illuminating the dark land. This strike seemed to hit something, shearing off a piece of a mountain range on Biyou Mountain.

Before Wang Ping could even marvel at the sight, a third bolt of lightning struck. As this one fell, an incredibly brilliant Sword Array cut through the night sky, followed by several figures clashing with one another. It was clearly a battle between cultivators.

The battle happened in a flash. Then, countless brilliant colors streaked across the sky. It looked like some people were fleeing while others gave chase.

Wang Ping was completely baffled by the sight, but he could only suppress his curiosity and remain an observer. He would have to wait and ask Yuan Zheng Taoist for an explanation later.

"Someone probably used the maturing of the Holy Heart Grass as an opportunity to do something outrageous at the Yuqing Sect’s garrison. I’m afraid that after this, the situation in Hu Mountain Country is going to change drastically." Wang Ping let out a breath.

"If such a small matter can be this earth-shattering, what would it be like if Zhongzhou descended into chaos?" Yu Lian asked softly.

Her question struck a chord with Wang Ping. He couldn’t imagine what a world in turmoil would look like, but he knew there was no harm in strengthening himself.

The streaks of light rapidly receding on the horizon seemed to be the final act of the incident. Wang Ping concealed his figure in the darkness and followed a pre-planned route, heading quickly toward another safe house he had prepared.

「An hour later.」

He appeared upstream along a river, in a small city where humans and demons lived together. He had a courtyard rented here in advance.

Standing in the middle of the courtyard, Wang Ping performed another divination. He then used his Wood Spirit Qi to communicate with the plants he had arranged throughout the city beforehand. Only after confirming there were no problems did he sit down in a lounge chair in the courtyard to rest.

It was a good thing he had made a series of arrangements in advance this time. Otherwise, things could have really gone south.

’From now on, for anything I can’t control, I have to be even more thorough with my preparations,’ Wang Ping warned himself.

"Right!"

Yu Lian was also shaken. Her fear was mainly directed at the Star God who had suddenly gone mad earlier. Wang Ping, however, was unsettled by the entire affair. The matter had been fraught with risk from the very beginning. If he had known from the start that he might provoke the Yuqing Sect, he would have definitely chosen Gray Water Pond.

...

「The sky brightened before they knew it.」

The city was noisy from early in the morning. Many humans and demons gathered in the city square at the crack of dawn to discuss the events that took place on Biyou Mountain the previous night. Having recovered his spiritual state, Wang Ping awoke from his meditation and, with renewed interest, practiced a round of the Chang Chun Technique to steady his unsettled mind from the night before.

As he finished, Wang Ping’s eyebrows twitched. A slender figure then leaped into his small courtyard.

It was the Female Knight he had met before at the Qianhu Inn in Sea City. When she landed and saw Wang Ping, she was stunned for a moment, then spoke quickly, "The owner of the Qianhu Inn sent me to tell you that some people have come from Zhongzhou. Their goal is to surround and kill your Ancestor Changqing. He also said that if I delivered this message, he would grant me one request."

After hearing the news, Wang Ping stood frozen in place. Yu Lian quickly wrapped herself around his left wrist. The same thought surfaced in both their minds: ’We have to get out of here, fast.’

Immediately after, Wang Ping’s gaze swept over the Female Knight. He wrapped her in his True Essence, and in the next moment, he leaped over the courtyard wall with her, using his Wood Spirit Qi to dash swiftly along the city’s buildings in the direction of Gray Water Pond!

At the same time, three figures shot up into the air from within the city, locking onto Wang Ping from different directions in an attempt to surround him. Fortunately, Wang Ping had reacted quickly enough, and they were one step too late...