Stealing Immortal

After a long while, the Copper Mirror remained motionless.

“Junior Brother, my Divine Light Illuminates and Penetrates the Profound Mysteries shows this is just a lifeless object. How could a koi possibly swim within it? Don’t tell me your eyes were playing tricks on you?”

The Golden Core True Monarch with the appearance of a youth stood beside her.

‘Just as Chen Qingyang had expected, these old-timers hadn’t left at all. They’d been waiting here the whole time, and now that nothing was happening, they’d started calling in friends to investigate.’

‘It sounded like that “Divine Light Illuminates and Penetrates the Profound Mysteries” must be an incredibly powerful Dharma Gate, one that could see through things that ordinary Golden Core True Monarchs could not.’

The youth grew a little angry. “Senior Sister, think about it. How could a Master Life Light’s eyes possibly play tricks on him?”

“Hmph!” This female Daoist was not one to be trifled with. “So you’re saying my Divine Power is lacking?”

The youth seemed somewhat wary of the female Daoist and immediately put on an apologetic smile. “Of course not. In all the world, whether it’s a Star Map or an illusion, there’s nothing you can’t see through. But…”

After that “but,” he pulled the conversation back to his point. “Then again, maybe there really is some change beyond our expectations. Otherwise, why would eight Copper Mirrors be the only things left behind in these ruins? Senior Sister, don’t you think the Copper Mirrors seem out of place here?”

Perhaps finding the youth’s analysis reasonable, the female Daoist furrowed her delicate brows and began to think seriously.

Her appearance was the sort that seemed ordinary, yet held a certain charm. “If even I can’t see through it, it must have been done by someone not from our Cyan Nether State. Are you suggesting a Daoist Monarch paid a visit here?”

The youth said at once, “That possibility can’t be ruled out. If we can’t figure this place out with our Cultivation, perhaps a Daoist Monarch could.”

“Nonsense!” The female Daoist threw cold water on his idea again. “Back when the Divine Court fell, plenty of Daoist Monarchs came. Did any of them discover anything? Besides, if one really was here, with all the racket you’re making, he’d have come out to teach you a lesson.”

Clearly, the youth had more faith in his Disciple. “Then… could there be the remnant soul of a Divine Spirit inside?”

This was also rejected by the female Daoist. “Absolutely impossible. What didn’t happen back then won’t happen now. Besides, who’s to say a Foundation Establishment Master can’t see things? Aren’t they the very ones who suffer from Psychic Illusions?”

‘They’re refuting their own ideas with such conviction,’ Chen Qingyang thought. ‘Surely they’ll give up this time.’

The youth was silent for a long time. “What you say makes sense, Senior Sister… How about you take another look at the Star Map?”

The female Daoist had a bit of a temper, but she was patient enough with the youth. She immediately agreed to his suggestion, formed a hand seal, and gazed up at the stars.

Where her gaze fell, it was as if a great hole opened in the heavens, and a Spiritual Constellation Scroll unfurled, lifelike, before the two of them and the fish.

‘The ability to directly manifest a Spiritual Constellation Scroll like this was something Chen Qingyang had never even heard of.’

‘From behind the Copper Mirror, he couldn’t feel the aura she was emitting, nor could he determine if this was the Ziwei Scripture.’

The female Daoist was silent, starlight flickering in her eyes as she carefully studied it for a long time. The youth, however, grew anxious. “Senior Sister, I see a section over there that doesn’t look right. Should we look a little deeper?”

The female Daoist retracted the starlight from her eyes and shot him a fierce glare. The youth immediately fell silent.

After another moment, the female Daoist frowned slightly. Her Star Power surged, her robes billowing as an immense radiance of starlight appeared behind her, so bright it illuminated the entire world…

What astonishing power!

‘Chen Qingyang started to worry. Could she really divine his existence just like this?’

After a long while, the vast astral light vanished in an instant. Fine beads of sweat dotted the female Daoist’s forehead.

Although the youth was a dignified Golden Core True Monarch, he was not a tactful person. His first words were not of concern for how much True Power she had just expended, but rather: “See, Senior Sister? I told you there was a problem!”

Naturally, all he got was a sharp rebuke. “Hmph. It’s not what you think. No one broke in at all.”

The young True Monarch looked confused. “Then after expending so much effort, Senior Sister, what exactly did you divine?”

The female Daoist paused for a moment before saying, “Bei Xing is offending Ziwei.”

Hearing this, the youth’s expression changed drastically. “Purple Sun… Isn’t he…”

He had only spoken those four words when the female Daoist shot him a look. “Do not speak of it, and do not mention it. Changes in the Celestial Secret are driven by changes in the hearts of men, and changes in the hearts of men can in turn alter the Celestial Secret. If you don’t want your every move to be predicted by others, you must first learn to keep your mouth shut.”

‘As Chen Qingyang understood it, this was an extremely important tactic in the battles between True Monarchs.’

‘By not speaking of it, not mentioning it, and giving oneself no psychological suggestions, one could distance oneself from the threads of causality. Otherwise, some unseen force would inevitably draw you in.’

‘What’s more, who knew if some wisp of the Qi Mechanism in the very world around you wouldn’t tattle on you to the person you were discussing?’

The youth nodded seriously. “Senior Sister, I don’t understand. What’s the connection between the two?”

The female Daoist didn’t speak, only tapped the ground with the tip of her foot.

‘Chen Qingyang instantly understood her meaning. She was indicating that this place was Xu Lingfeng.’

“I told you long ago not to send your Disciple here. You just had to get involved in this mess. Let’s go, let’s go. Just treat it as a shift in the Southern Dipper Star and stop staring at this place.”

The youth contemplated for a moment. “Alright. I’ll listen to you, Senior Sister.”

In an instant, the two of them vanished.

Chen Qingyang, however, fell into deep thought.

‘The so-called “Bei Xing offending Ziwei” was an inauspicious omen. Within the Tai Xu Sect, it signified a high probability of internal strife, Elders plotting rebellion, Disciples turning on one another…’

‘That was why they had mentioned Purple Sun.’

‘Judging by the wariness they showed toward this place, it was highly likely they believed Purple Sun True Monarch hadn’t actually died, but had instead integrated himself into this very land.’

‘Then what was Lu Qingyu? Just a part of Purple Sun?’

‘If that were true, a chill ran down Chen Qingyang’s spine.’

‘Because the anomaly here today had been caused by him. The Golden Core True Monarchs had arrived at the conclusion of “Bei Xing offending Ziwei” only by divining his presence.’

‘This meant that he was the key to this matter, and it was highly likely he would become a part of Purple Sun’s plan.’

‘Of course, all of this was predicated on the assumption that Purple Sun was still alive here…’

‘So, was he still alive here?’

‘Back at the Four Golden Peaks, Chen Qingyang had come to understand a simple truth: the methods of Great Cultivators were beyond his imagination. Even if he lived as cautiously as a turtle in its shell, there was still a high chance he would be discovered.’

‘That was why, after finding the Great Soul Scripture Volume Two, he had even considered abandoning the Dharma Gate. But even with such caution, he still hadn’t managed to avoid this.’

‘No matter what he did in the future, no matter how he struggled, the Cyan Nether Daoist Monarch was now bound to him.’

‘Chen Qingyang’s thoughts raced. He immediately realized that if he wanted to avoid being plotted against and live a good life in the future, he had to obtain more Immortal Seedlings and raise his Cultivation to a much higher realm.’

‘It had to be much higher than what others perceived, causing them to misjudge him. Only then could he anticipate his enemies’ every move.’

‘Beyond that, he had to broaden his knowledge and learn about many more things. Today was just a small accident, yet it had allowed him to deduce so much. This was only because he understood the Astrology Skill and could grasp the schemes of True Monarchs.’

「About a quarter of an hour later.」

Just as the Conscious Fish was about to peek out, it saw the youth had returned. The sight gave Chen Qingyang such a fright that he immediately retracted it.

‘He just kept staring at the Copper Mirror, unwilling to leave even after a long time. Why was he so stubborn? He hadn’t listened to a single word his Senior Sister had said.’

What else could Chen Qingyang do? He had to let the Conscious Fish remain trapped. Pulling his thoughts back, he packed up his belongings and headed toward the Four Golden Peaks.