A few days ago, on the mountain where the Qingcheng Sect temporarily resided.
"It's Yuan Tai," Ye Zhizhou raised his head to look at him.
Dongfang Shu sat down beside him and caressed his hair. "Although the false flag might have caused some confusion, one thing is certain: Yuan Jing has a karmic bond, and his destiny lies beyond this realm, after ascension. Evil spirits do not undergo normal reincarnation and do not carry karmic bonds."
Ye Zhizhou's eyes brightened. "Really?"
"Yes," Dongfang Shu nodded. "Yuan Jing's astrological chart is remarkably intact, unlike the inability of evil spirits to be probed. He is destined to face a great calamity. If he can overcome it safely, his path of cultivation afterward will be smooth, and he may have a chance at ascension."
"A great calamity?" Ye Zhizhou furrowed his brows and after a moment, he asked, "Can you determine when this great calamity is going to happen?"
Dongfang Shu pinched his earlobe and shook his head. "I can't specify it too precisely. The secrets of fate must not be disclosed; it will backlash."
"Then, don't bother," Ye Zhizhou hurriedly grabbed his hand, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Can you at least estimate if he will face any tribulations or difficulties in his recent cultivation?"
Dongfang Shu pondered for a moment and nodded. "It has no bearing on life or death; I can do that."
Ye Zhizhou felt a glimmer of hope.
A quarter of an hour later, Dongfang Shu put down the divination tray.
"How is it?" Ye Zhizhou leaned in and asked eagerly.
"His cultivation has stagnated, and there is a danger of dissipation," Dongfang Shu's expression grew somber. "For a cultivator to lose their cultivation, there's only one possibility: death."
Ye Zhizhou was taken aback and hastily pushed a piece of blank paper with information on several Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the Linsand Sect toward him. "Then, let's calculate their situations too. Later, let's also calculate it for the Sands of Time sect members."
Two hours later, the two of them looked at the results noted on the paper in silence. More than twenty individuals' recent cultivation progress, and all of them faced stagnation and the risk of dissipation.
"Yuan Tai's goal isn't just the eight concubines; he wants the lives of all of us," Ye Zhizhou flipped through the paper and said in a grim tone. "Yuan Tai isn't particularly powerful himself. He can't possibly kill so many people by himself, especially if it involves dissipation. He must have assistance."
"Demonic cultivators," Dongfang Shu tapped on the table, deep in thought. "The Soul-Devouring Banner, as a demonic artifact, holds great influence among demonic cultivators. Yuan Tai is likely colluding with them. With so many people facing death together, it's impossible to kill them one by one. It must be... a formation."
Ye Zhizhou recalled the topography of the Endless Abyss Valley and sneered, "This place is indeed perfect for setting up a formation."
"A formation capable of consuming so many lives must be extensive. Yuan Tai alone couldn't set it up," Dongfang Shu walked to the window and looked outside. "Xiaozhou, we are likely already surrounded and under scrutiny by demonic cultivators."
"Surrounded and under scrutiny," Ye Zhizhou glanced at the densely packed names on the paper, a cold glint in his eyes. "They're watching, right? Then, let's give them a show! Dongfang, would you like to join me in acting?"
Dongfang Shu turned to look at him, his lips curled slightly. "As you wish."
In the open, Ye Zhizhou continued to pay attention to the Grand Competition. In the shadows, Dongfang Shu began to conceal his presence and search for traces of the formation. Later, when the Deyong Secret Realm opened, Ye Zhizhou cleverly played along with Yuan Tai, putting on a show of finding out about the capture of their fellow cultivators and rushing to rescue them.
Now, at this moment, Yuan Tai revealed his true form from behind the illusion, displaying his fangs to all the cultivators.
The transmission talisman Dongfang Shu sent out earlier had finally worked, and the elders of various sects who had received the message collectively transmitted to their disciples. They instructed them not to resist the spiritual power overwhelming them from the Tianhe Array but to follow its guidance into another dimension to avoid harm from the formation.
The man in the red robe looked at the young cultivators disappearing one by one and then at the transmission talisman that suddenly flew toward him. His expression changed repeatedly, eventually turning into frustration. "So, all the other elders of the Linxian Pavilion knew about your plan, except for me?"
Ye Zhizhou spared him a brief glance and replied, "Dongfang said you were too emotionally expressive and not good at concealing your feelings, so..."
Since Yuan Tai's primary targets were the souls within the Linxian Pavilion, he would undoubtedly have some form of surveillance in the sect to monitor the situation. So, why bother seeking the truth when someone with poor acting skills could enjoy the spectacle?
The man in the red robe felt even more frustrated and asked, "Then where is the real Yuan Jing?"
"He was too unruly, so I locked him up in the Purple Void Space's mountain ahead of time." When they had just left the Deyong Secret Realm, he hadn't left but had transformed into the wind to hide. He had guessed that Yuan Tai would make a move on Yuan Jing, who looked very similar to him. So, he followed Yuan Jing and, when a demonic cultivator emerged trying to capture Yuan Jing, he directly placed Yuan Jing into a valley in the space that he had prepared in advance, leaving him to play with a rabbit.
The man in the red robe was speechless and then frowned, "Is that Purple Void Space reliable or not—"
Spiritual power drifted by, and the man in the red robe's figure disappeared.
"You can find out if it's reliable or not by going in yourself. I even picked a mountain and valley with a better view for you." Ye Zhizhou withdrew his hand and looked at Dongfang Shu with a good mood, feeding him a pill. His own spiritual power was too weak; they relied on Dongfang Shu's spiritual power to bring these cultivators into the space.
Dongfang Shu shook his head, increased his spiritual power output, and, after all the cultivators in the area had been brought into the space, waved his hand, sending a massive sword formed from spiritual power into the center of the formation. He held Ye Zhizhou's hand and said, "Let's go."
Ye Zhizhou nodded. "A day trip to the space begins!"
In the Purple Void Space, the cultivators looked around, still somewhat bewildered.
Ye Zhizhou appeared in the sky above the valley in the space, waved his hand to set up a few formation flags, and then used the Tongtian Mirror to enlarge it, suspending it upside down above the valley.
The sect leaders from various sects flew to his side one after another, looking at Dongfang Shu. "Senior Tianhe, what should we do next?"
"First, find and eliminate the demonic cultivators hidden among the crowd, then regroup in place. I'll deal with Yuan Tai." Dongfang Shu gave a simple explanation.
The Linxian Pavilion's sect leader had not attended this Grand Competition, so an elder was in charge. When the elder heard this, his mouth moved, but he ultimately didn't say anything. The fact that Yuan Tai had colluded with demonic cultivators had already been firmly established, and any further argument was futile.
The Purple Void Space served as the headquarters for the Tongtian Mirror. Here, it was in charge, and it projected its light as it pleased. When the mirror's radiance emerged, the demonic cultivators concealed among the cultivators instantly lost their disguises, howling in agony as they tore apart their illusions.
The expressions of the sect leaders and elders from various sects all changed. "There are this many?"
"Yuan Tai has been planning this secretly for over a decade. If he only managed to sneak in these few demonic cultivators, he's a failure," Ye Zhizhou said while drawing his dual blades, looking at a certain spot in the valley. "Making secret moves in my space, don't they know that here, I'm like the law of heaven?"
Dongfang Shu gestured with his finger, dispelling the idea of helping him kill the main character, and advised, "Be careful. Call me if you need anything."
Ye Zhizhou smiled at him and flew down with his weapons.
The Linxian Pavilion's sect leader couldn't hold back and asked, "Once you find Yuan Tai, what will you—"
"Eliminate him on the spot."
"But what about this space—"
"In-place annihilation."
"The Upper Realm is aware of the catastrophe in this realm." Dongfang Shu turned to look at him, a killing intent emanating from him. "Anyone who covets Ye Zhizhou will die!" These words conveyed two pieces of information: firstly, I ascended and then returned, and I've been closely monitoring the situation in this realm from above, so if you want to die, I won't stop you. Secondly, this space belongs to Ye Zhizhou, and if you dare have any ulterior motives, I'll crush you right now!
Hearing this, the sect leaders of the major sects were all taken aback and immediately ceased their thoughts. This person beside them was the savior of the entire cultivation world; it would be better not to offend him.
After relocating Yuan Jing to another location within the space, Ye Zhizhou appeared behind a panicked Yuan Tai, brandishing his dual blades. "Thinking of turning yourself into Yuan Jing? Dream on!"
Yuan Tai's heart tightened, hastily avoiding his attacks, and a large flag with a golden bottom and red patterns appeared in his hand.
"Soul-Devouring Banner," Ye Zhizhou glanced at the enlarged version of the Soul-Devouring Banner and sneered. "Yuan Tai, have you noticed that your dantian is sluggish, and your spiritual power, I mean, your demonic power, can't be mobilized? Are you confused about where you are?"
Yuan Tai tightened his grip on the Soul-Devouring Banner and stepped back.
"Trying to escape?" Ye Zhizhou raised an eyebrow, wielding his dual blades. In an instant, the two of them changed positions and arrived at a barren cliff. "Want to try running again?"
Yuan Tai was greatly alarmed, realizing that he had already fallen into a trap. He said resentfully, "You actually have the Space of a Mustard Seed, and it's the kind that has developed its own laws... Ye Zhizhou, I underestimated you."
"That's because you're foolish," Ye Zhizhou took a step forward, and spiritual power vibrated around him. "I'm going to let you die right here, contaminating the air in this space."
Yuan Tai retreated and looked back at the cliff. Then, he sensed his empty dantian and suddenly shouted, "Tong Jia's soul hasn't completely dissipated!"
Ye Zhizhou's attack paused.
"I managed to piece together a fragment of his scattered soul!" Yuan Tai waved the Soul-Devouring Banner, urgently saying, "If you release me, I promise not to do evil again! I'll give you Tong Jia's soul, and you can help him return to the cycle of reincarnation."
Ye Zhizhou's gaze shifted towards the Soul-Devouring Banner.
"With your merit and Dongfang Shu's abilities, it's very easy to reunite Tong Jia's soul and help him reincarnate," Yuan Tai ventured closer, slowing down his speech and adopting a seductive tone. "The Soul-Devouring Banner is my life's treasure. If I dissipate, the Soul-Devouring Banner will be destroyed, and Tong Jia's soul won't be preserved. So, you can't harm me."
"I can't harm you?"
Yuan Tai saw Ye Zhizhou's eyes become distant, and his heart rejoiced. He waved the Soul-Devouring Banner again and continued, "That's right, trust me. I promise never to commit evil again. As long as you release me, I'll give you the Soul-Devouring Banner."
A delighted smile appeared on Ye Zhizhou's face. "You want to give me the Soul-Devouring Banner?"
Yuan Tai nodded. "Yes, as long as you—"
Suddenly, his dantian experienced a sharp pain. He lowered his head, gazing at the blade protruding from his abdomen. His body began to tremble. "How... could this..."
The "Ye Zhizhou" who looked delighted disappeared into the wind. A voice filled with killing intent came from behind, "Release you? Did you think I'm as foolish as you?!" The long blade was drawn, and the Soul-Devouring Banner was seized.
Ye Zhizhou threw Yuan Tai to the ground, looking down at him with contempt. "You'd better have truly gathered Tong Jia's soul, or else..." He swung the blade down again, and Yuan Tai's body convulsed before he closed his eyes unwillingly.
A gray soul twisted and screamed as it escaped from Yuan Tai's body. He extended his hand vacantly and threw the gray soul into a soul-capturing artifact. "If you're capable, turn this chamber pot into a second Soul-Devouring Banner to save Tong Jia's soul. Who are you trying to deceive?"
Dongfang Shu arrived on his sword, glanced at Yuan Tai's corpse on the ground, and looked at the Soul-Devouring Banner in his hand. "Why didn't you destroy it?"
Ye Zhizhou shook his head, stepped forward, and hugged him.
"What's wrong?" Dongfang Shu hurriedly supported him. "Are you injured?"
"I seem to be... about to form an infant..."
Forming an infant directly at the Golden Core stage? Dongfang Shu was rarely in a panic.
The Ascension Formation had collapsed in the first second after the sacrifice due to insufficient offerings and the absence of an eye. The enormous sword left behind by Dongfang Shu had withstood the shockwave of the Ascension Formation's destruction, protecting the spiritual veins of the Endless Abyss Valley.
The man in the red robe looked at the other elders of his sect and asked in confusion, "What about Master Tianhe and his disciple? Why haven't we seen them?"
The sect leaders of various sects also appeared puzzled and immediately expanded their divine consciousness to search, but found nothing.
"We can't sense their presence. Maybe they left."
"They sent us out of the space first and then left?"
"Could they still be inside the space?"
"Hey, why is there heavenly tribulation over there? The intensity of this tribulation... Infant Transformation? Who's going through Infant Transformation at such a critical moment?"
The man in the red robe followed his gaze and furrowed his brow. "Why is there another layer of tribulation clouds on top of the Infant Transformation tribulation clouds..."
Thousands of years later, in a small teahouse in the world of cultivation.
"Just when everyone was bewildered, a massive expanse of tribulation clouds suddenly appeared in the sky, shrouding the heads of Master Tianhe and his disciple!" Jing Tangmu slapped the table, and the elderly cultivator who was narrating the story closed his fan. "To know what happens next, stay tuned for the next installment."
The mesmerized customers all groaned in unison and requested that the storyteller continue.
"Sorry, sorry, my disciple is waiting for me at home. Next time, next time." The elderly cultivator smiled, waved his hand, and left the teahouse, quickly heading to his home deep in the neighboring street.
"Master!" A cute little boy rushed out of the house, throwing himself into the cultivator's arms. "Master, Master, my Master just took me to listen to your stories. What happened to the disciple of Master Tianhe in the end?"
The elderly cultivator picked up the boy, nodded to his welcoming wife, and replied with a smile, "The Heavenly Dao was moved by the dedication of Master Tianhe's disciple to the world of cultivation, so he ascended directly. Jiajia, do you want to ascend too?"
"I do!" The young boy nodded vigorously, his eyes shining. "I want to ascend, and I want to find Master Tianhe's disciple! Master, you should come too!"
The elderly cultivator laughed heartily, carried the boy inside, and said, "Alright, we'll go together as a family!"
In the void, Ye Zhizhou grinned with satisfaction. "Dongfang, Jiajia still remembers me."
Dongfang Shu's face turned darker. "Children's words are not reliable."
Ye Zhizhou glanced at him. "Jealous."
A small cat suddenly appeared out of thin air and landed on Ye Zhizhou's shoulder, rubbing against his cheek. "Young Master, the soul transfer channel has been opened. Do you want to return to the previous world?"
Dongfang Shu's face grew even darker as he reached out to catch the cat. "Turn back into a mirror."
The innocent cat flicked its tail.
"I'll let you be jealous!" Ye Zhizhou snatched the Mirror of Heaven back and hugged it to his chest, then disappeared first. "I'm heading back. You can be jealous at your own pace! The mess at the Ren family isn't resolved yet!"
Dongfang Shu grasped at empty air, silently sulking, and then vanished from the spot as well.
In the Ren family's living room, the story continued.