Chapter 0: 108. The Hunt
The next day, the Bi Fang Clan announced that all clan members suspected of being afflicted by the Calamity Heavenly Feather yesterday would receive an additional opportunity to enter the ‘Holy Pavilion’ together.
Regarding the so-called ‘Holy Pavilion,’ Yan Ming had previously mentioned it when arguing with Xuan Hui about his reluctance to attend the academy. It seemed that if one were truly cursed by the Calamity Heavenly Feather, they would never be able to successfully enter the Holy Pavilion to receive a certain inheritance.
Perhaps, by utilizing the unique nature of the Holy Pavilion at this moment, it could also be a powerful means to stabilize the clan’s morale and expose the ominous black feathers as mere fakes.
Simultaneously, Ren Ci also delivered timely intelligence, revealing that the opening of the Holy Pavilion this time was actually one of the traps set to deal with Qin Gou. This was merely the first batch, and even if Qin Gou didn’t intend to infiltrate this time, it wouldn’t be long before he was inevitably summoned by the clan to enter. No Bi Fang Clan member in West Qin Mountain would be unwilling to enter the Holy Pavilion to reap benefits. If Qin Gou refused, it would be tantamount to directly exposing his identity.
However, it was rumored that the Holy Pavilion could also greatly restrict escape techniques.
Therefore, after much deliberation, Ren Ci still advised Qin Gou to blend in with this first batch of entering clan members. First, she would find a way to deceive the Bi Fang’s Lord into believing that Qin Gou’s whereabouts were not discovered this time. This way, he would have a thoroughly cleared identity early on, making it more convenient for them to act.
Furthermore, the Holy Pavilion was already a core area of West Qin Mountain, and it might even be of assistance to the secret matters Qin Gou wished to investigate.
Qin Gou had no objections to this. After all, he wasn’t that worried about his identity being exposed.
As before, if Ren Ci hadn’t appeared by chance, and the Bi Fang’s Lord had chosen to pay the price of a damaged soul to divine his true form, Qin Gou would have unhesitatingly sacrificed his ‘Celestial Master’s Soul’ and then instantly recovered it with the merit points he had earned in abundance yesterday. He would have gained a reduction in the Bi Fang’s Lord’s strength with almost no losses.
At noon.
Qin Gou was chosen by Yan Cang Zhou to be one of the accompanying elders entering the Holy Pavilion today. This saved Qin Gou some effort, as he didn’t need to specially impersonate one of the junior Bi Fang members.
It was evident that for some reason, the Third Elder Yan Cang Zhou seemed to particularly appreciate ‘Yan Qihao,’ otherwise, he wouldn’t have been protecting his safety with a Divine Soul Split Soul all along.
Entering the Holy Pavilion with everyone else, it felt as though he had merely passed through a large door, yet Qin Gou found himself in another world entirely.
Birds sang and flowers perfumed the air, the scenery was pleasant, and even the spiritual energy concentration of this place had reached an astonishing level. There was no need to actively absorb it; merely closing one’s eyes casually would allow inexhaustible spiritual energy to continuously surge and gather into one’s body naturally.
And this did not seem to be the true marvel of the Holy Pavilion. It was no wonder Yan Ming had been so eager for this place before. At the same time, Qin Gou also realized that, let alone escape techniques, this place even possessed laws that restricted aerial flight.
“Such a familiar feeling.”
Suddenly, Xie Yu Dharma Image’s clear and pleasant voice echoed in Qin Gou’s mind.
“Xie Yu, what did you say?” Qin Gou asked, confused.
“Xie Yu senses so many, so many auras just like my own!”
“Oh? In what direction?”
“All directions, every inch of land, everywhere.”
“What?”
Qin Gou’s eyes widened in shock, not only because of Xie Yu’s words but also because another unfamiliar voice had suddenly appeared in his mind.
“Is it a youngster of the Mi Tian Ye Huang Clan? No, you do possess a trace of the Night Phoenix’s aura within you, yet you do not possess their bloodline, which is extremely rare.” The voice was deep but devoid of excessive emotion.
“Who are you?” Qin Gou immediately questioned inwardly.
“I am the ‘Godplunder Altar,’ but nowadays, the Fire Crow Bi Fang Clan more often refers to me as the ‘Holy Pavilion.’ The reason I am communicating with you at this moment is because I have sensed the Night Phoenix power within your person… I have decided that you are also qualified to participate in the hunt between the Fire Crow Bi Fang Clan and the Mi Tian Ye Huang Clan!”
“Hunt? If what you say is true, you must know the real reason behind the Bi Fang Clan’s extermination of the Mi Tian Ye Huang Clan back then?” Qin Gou asked inwardly, showing no outward signs.
“You will understand this matter once you experience the ‘hunt.’ If you cannot survive today, you will not need to understand it.”
“Then, what exactly is the ‘hunt’ you speak of?” Qin Gou’s eyes were deep, as he already had a faint guess.
At the same time.
“Fellow Daoist Jia Ren, it was you who said that to ensure foolproofness and avoid alerting the enemy, I went to such great lengths and took the longer route. You must do your best to help me now,” the Bi Fang’s Lord said, looking at Ren Ci beside him. “Has that human rogue infiltrated among my clan members?”
Hearing this, Ren Ci, while pretending to perform hand seals, said with a calm expression, “Please, Fellow Daoist Yan, remain calm and wait a moment.” In reality, she was trying to stall for time to help Qin Gou gain a deeper understanding of this place.
“No harm done, I’m not in a hurry. Even if Fellow Daoist Jia Ren’s conclusion is that the human rogue did not sneak into the Holy Pavilion this time, it doesn’t matter,” the Bi Fang’s Lord said with a gentle smile and a hearty tone.
Ren Ci could not help but show a suspicious look. “What does Fellow Daoist Yan mean? You still don’t trust me even now? Or…”
The Bi Fang’s Lord waved his hand, interrupting Ren Ci, and said with a smile, “It’s very simple. Even if our plan to lure that human rogue into the Holy Pavilion to prevent him from using mystic arts to escape fails, I have successfully caused Fellow Daoist Jia Ren to actively enter the Holy Pavilion, thus successfully restricting your escape!
In this way, facing Fellow Daoist Jia Ren, whose realm has already fallen, why would I need to worry about you using your secret techniques to refuse to reveal the human rogue’s true identity? Fellow Daoist Jia Ren, you shouldn’t resent me, right? After all, we are using each other, but as long as you cooperate fully, the promises I made to Fellow Daoist Jia Ren will still be valid!”
“You… Fellow Daoist Yan, you underestimate me too much!” Ren Ci snorted coldly in disdain. “If you really want to make a move against me, feel free to try! But after this matter, I hope Fellow Daoist Yan will not test my patience again!” As she spoke, Ren Ci secretly activated her Blood Absorption Thousand Souls Body, intending to show him something to remember.
“Oh?”
The Bi Fang’s Lord immediately approached Ren Ci step by step, as if genuinely intending to test her.
However, plans ultimately cannot keep up with changes. At this moment, with a deafening thunderclap, the entire sky seemed to tremble violently. All the living beings present, including the Bi Fang’s Lord, felt their vision blur, and they were scattered and teleported to various locations.
In an instant, a line of text appeared in the minds of all the Fire Crow Bi Fang Clan members.
‘The Mi Tian Ye Huang Clan has infiltrated this place!’
Qin Gou, standing beneath an ancient tree, also received a simple and clear directive in his mind.
“Eliminate the Fire Crow Bi Fang!”
