Chapter 806: Self-recording Traces to Conceal Heavenly Secrets

Ji Yuan knew Wang Youhong and Shi Jiu were intelligent, unlike Old Niu. A subtle hint from him was enough for them to understand his intentions, so he said no more. It was merely a pretext, and they could develop it as they saw fit.

Ji Yuan approached the table and picked up the wine pot. He shook it, noting there was still wine inside. Evidently, neither Old Niu nor Shi Jiu had touched it during his brief absence; otherwise, the half-full pot would have been empty.

"I'll be taking this pot of wine. The three of you can discuss matters further among yourselves, but I advise you to leave this city as soon as possible."

Holding the wine pot, Ji Yuan turned and headed for the exit. As he walked, the general hubbub of the tavern gradually grew louder.

"Mr. Ji, where are you off to?"

Shi Jiu posed the question. Ji Yuan merely glanced back at him, smiled, and departed without a word.

At the same moment, Ji Yuan's voice resonated in the ears of both Old Niu and Shi Jiu.

"Investigate thoroughly the people abducted by the demons this time, and the situation with the Human-Beast Nation."

The moment Ji Yuan left, Old Niu, Shi Jiu, and their table seemed to blend back into the tavern's noisy atmosphere. After a considerable pause, Wang Youhong, who had remained standing by the table, finally exhaled sharply. Exhausted, he sank onto an empty long bench.

"Phew…"

The youthful-looking deviant cultivator wore an expression of utter exhaustion. Old Niu, who had been grouped with him for a long time, had never seen him so weary. Shi Jiu, observing Wang Youhong, felt an inexplicable sense of empathy.

After a long silence, Wang Youhong finally looked up and hailed a waiter who was standing nearby.

"Waiter, a pot of wine, please—the same kind that was just on this table."

"Coming right up, honored guest! Please wait a moment; I'll fetch it for you immediately!"

The waiter called back, hurried to the counter, grabbed the wine, and swiftly delivered it to Old Niu's table. With a quick "Enjoy," he was already being summoned by other patrons. The small tavern's main hall had only one assistant, who was clearly swamped.

Wang Youhong, uncharacteristically, poured himself a cup of wine. After a brief hesitation, he poured a cup for Shi Jiu, and then for Old Niu. After all, they were all in the same boat now.

"The Samadhi True Fire is truly terrifying; Madam Spider didn't even have a chance to struggle. And Mr. Ji's divine ability, that sweep of his sleeve, was something I'd never heard of before. All those who tried to escape were simply swept away by it. Who knows if they're dead or alive…"

Shi Jiu emptied his cup in one gulp and spoke in a low voice.

"They likely didn't survive…"

Old Niu remained silent, draining his own cup. Yet, he pondered Wang Youhong's words, surmising that the divine ability was likely the legendary "Sleeve Universe," which he'd only heard of but never witnessed. He suddenly felt a twinge of envy for Wang Youhong. Old Niu had never seen such a profound technique with his own eyes. If only he had known, he would have stepped out of the inn earlier; he might have caught a glimpse.

"By the way, Brother Wang, did you mention it to Mr. Ji?"

Shi Jiu asked, feigning casualness. Old Niu also perked up his ears. Wang Youhong knew what he was asking and, at this point, felt it no longer mattered.

"Of course I did. Mr. Ji might have already suspected it was the enigmatic Tu Siyan. However, she's no longer in Tianyu Continent; she should be in the Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven."

"It's really her?"

Shi Jiu voiced his surprise, and Old Niu added, looking slightly stunned.

"No way. That fox fought the Qianyuan Sect Leader before and supposedly died under his True Immortal Thunder-controlling Sword. She should be thoroughly dead!"

"Heh, that fox has countless tricks up her sleeve. If not for this current upheaval, none of us would have imagined she possessed the cultivation of a nine-tailed fox. Besides her formidable background, it's rumored she was also the first in our Tianqi Alliance to establish ties with the Two Desolate Lands, particularly the Black Desolation. So, her being alive is hardly surprising."

Shi Jiu's brow furrowed. He poured himself another cup of wine, then, after a thought, refilled Old Niu's and Wang Youhong's cups as well.

"So, is Mr. Ji going to find her now?"

Wang Youhong held his wine cup, his thoughts uncertain.

"I'm not certain. While it's possible, the Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven is the sacred stronghold of the fox clan, home to countless high-level fox cultivators, and more than one nine-tailed celestial fox. Even if Mr. Ji possesses immense power, he probably wouldn't just march in there and directly confront Tu Siyan, would he?"

Old Niu simply drank in silence. He understood Ji Yuan far better than the two beside him, thinking, 'You really can't say for sure!'

"Right, if something were to happen to Tu Siyan even within the Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven, people would surely suspect she was betrayed. If they were to investigate that…"

Old Niu said this pointedly. Wang Youhong, with a cold smirk, cast his gaze towards a spot in the sky.

"Didn't Madam Spider vanish after making her escape?"

Shi Jiu also smiled faintly, exchanging a knowing look with Old Niu, who now seemed to grasp the implication.

"Hmm, that makes sense!" "Exactly, that's precisely it!"

Old Niu was now playing the role of a curious novice, yet every question he raised expertly hit the nail on the head.

"Well then, you two, what Mr. Ji intends to do is no longer our concern. In my humble opinion, we should hasten our departure from this place…"

Old Niu's words roused Wang Youhong and Shi Jiu, both of whom promptly agreed.

"Precisely!"

"Right, we'll finish this drink and then leave at once."

Old Niu nodded, quickly emptying the wine in his cup. A silent sigh escaped him, and he cast a subtly mournful glance towards a certain part of the city.

'Ah, to miss so many wonderful ladies… but Old Niu must prioritize the greater good, neglecting personal affections. Alas…'

"Let's go! Waiter, the bill! The money's on the table; keep the change!"

Shi Jiu grandly slapped a silver ingot onto the table, then rose first. Old Niu, moments ago mournful, instantly brightened at the sight of the silver and stood up as well. The three then quickly departed.

Moments later, three streaks of light ascended from the city, flying off in the same direction the demons had fled.

As Ji Yuan exited the tavern, his eyes were slightly narrowed, his gaze deep with contemplation. He could now largely confirm that Tu Siyan was the "Pivot One" in the hands of the other chess master.

This move was central to the chaos in Tianyu Continent. Such a "chess move" would naturally conclude here, as probing cannot be endless. The current situation was likely sufficient for the chess master working behind the scenes.

Ji Yuan was uncertain whether the opponent would withdraw this piece. In his view, it would be best to destroy this "Pivot One."

Ji Yuan was a close friend of the Old Beggar, who was also an important figure in the Qianyuan Sect and had encountered Madam Spider. When viewed closely, Ji Yuan's intervention in Tianyu Continent was entirely logical.

"However, one more thing needs to be completed…"

At that moment, Ji Yuan ascended on the wind from a quiet corner of the city. Airborne, he gazed at the gathering dark clouds, which were his creation but no longer mere magic.

Ji Yuan's gaze was profound. After a long moment, he channeled all his mystical energy, and a string of magic coins in his hand dissolved into nothingness. As his divine consciousness activated, the self-realized method of Heaven and Earth Creation unfolded from his very essence. An invisible thought, carrying the aura of cosmic mysteries, continuously expanded through this method of creation.

In a daze, it seemed another Ji Yuan separated from him. As the essence of Heaven and Earth Creation diffused, this "Ji Yuan" transformed into countless specks of light and scattered.

Previously, any attempt to divine Ji Yuan's fate had yielded only blankness, with only Daoist Qingsong ever managing a faint glimpse. This time, however, Ji Yuan cast a spell that left a trace in the world. While divining him still produced a blurred outcome, for those whose cultivation surpassed a certain level, calculating his fate no longer gave the impression of utter immeasurability. Ultimately, he remained a cultivator within the heavens and the earth.

"Phew…"

Ji Yuan slowly exhaled. Having completed this, he surprisingly felt an even greater sense of harmony with the world. He chuckled self-deprecatingly, then accelerated his escape light and flew westward.

Elsewhere in Tianyu Continent, the Old Beggar sat in a courtyard, sharing tea with his senior brother. Though they sat facing each other, both wore grim expressions.

Even individuals with extraordinary cultivation had their limits. Tianyu Continent was vast, and the world teemed with demons. Despite the righteous path holding an overwhelming advantage, the chaos seemed unending, with demons constantly appearing to harm living beings.

While the situation had improved significantly, it remained deeply unsettling. Fortunately, humanity demonstrated astonishing resilience, and a subtle change seemed to be occurring. Even in the ravaged Tianyu Continent, the collective destiny appeared to be subtly on the rise.

The Old Beggar had nothing to say to his senior brother, while Daoist Yuan, despite having much he wished to express, often found himself unable to speak, resulting in a rather subdued atmosphere when they were alone.

If Ji Yuan were present and witnessed this scene, he would surely think to himself: *Daoist Yuan, despite his True Immortal cultivation, is quite the tsundere.*

"Junior brother…"

"Hm?"

Just as Daoist Yuan began to speak, the Old Beggar's voice, tinged with surprise, seemed overly reactive. Daoist Yuan then noticed the Old Beggar staring unusually at his own cuff.

A thin golden cord suddenly extended from the Old Beggar's hand.

"What's happening? Did Mr. Ji summon it?"

The Old Beggar paused, then instantly understood: for the Immortal-Binding Rope to react like this, it could only be because of Ji Yuan.

Indeed, just as the Old Beggar surmised, the Immortal-Binding Rope detached itself from his wrist. A faint golden halo emanated from it in the air, then with a flash, it instantly transformed into a streaking meteor, soaring against the heavens and vanishing from the sight of both the Old Beggar and Daoist Yuan. Neither made any attempt to stop it.

"Mr. Ji suddenly summoned the Immortal-Binding Rope away. Did he encounter a powerful enemy? No, that doesn't seem right."

The Old Beggar frowned, pondering as he watched the direction the Immortal-Binding Rope had vanished. As he murmured to himself, he turned to Daoist Yuan, only to find the latter staring at him with wide eyes.

"Uh, senior brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

"What am I doing? That's the Immortal-Binding Rope, isn't it? Mr. Ji's Immortal-Binding Rope! It's been with you all this time, and you didn't even tell me? If I had known you possessed the Immortal-Binding Rope, how could I not borrow it for a closer look? What kind of junior brother are you? Do you even acknowledge me as your senior brother?"

The Old Beggar grimaced, turning his upper body slightly while holding his teacup, and retorted with a sly, chilling sidelong glance.

"No!"