Chapter 1558: Confirmation It's Him

The thought alone thrilled everyone.

But just then, lights flickered in the nearby mountains, and the sound of flapping wings came from the sky. The pursuers had arrived.

The Spirit Gathering Array had suddenly reactivated, meaning anyone privy to the secret would rush to its core immediately.

"Hold on for a moment!" Bai Ziqi urged everyone. "At least until the Lamp Spirit successfully locates it!"

Everyone responded with a unified "Yes."

"There, over there!" voices called out from the bushes, and shadowy figures, about twenty in all, rushed forth.

Bai Qi flicked his wrist, sending seventeen or eighteen iron lotus seeds flying towards them. The seeds, the size of real lotus seeds, accelerated rapidly after being thrown. As they neared the opponents, they collided at high speed, resulting in a series of loud explosions. Each iron seed also contained countless small steel pellets, which scattered in all directions upon explosion.

Amidst screams, seven or eight of the twenty attackers were knocked down, two of the unlucky ones permanently blinded. The remaining, shocked and enraged, charged forward with their weapons. The Heavenly Palace members intervened, quickly dispatching them to the ground within a dozen breaths. The two remaining pursuers, sensing defeat, turned to flee, but the attendant unleashed a golden light, slicing them in half at the waist.

Three waves of such enemies arrived within half an hour. Each successive wave was larger and more challenging to defeat. In the nearby night sky, multicolored signal flares ascended, indicating that the Carefree Sect or Ling Mountain was mobilizing forces to apprehend the intruders.

Bai Ziqi frequently glanced down at the purple-gold plate, his expression grave. It still hadn't been found.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from behind him, and the attendant immediately exclaimed, "My lord, the Emperor's scale!" The green scale embedded in the stone wall trembled twice, and then its surface cracked with a distinct pop. Bai Ziqi's face changed. "This is bad. The scale can't withstand the array's pressure!"

How immense was this Spirit Gathering Array, that even an Emperor's scale couldn't bear its burden? Conversely, what divine artifact had originally been at the core to sustain such a grand array for years on end?

"Just a little longer," he insisted. Having finally activated the grand array, Bai Ziqi was determined to get a result. However, fifty breaths later, two more pops echoed from the green scale, adding two more cracks. Its cracking accelerated rapidly, and in moments, seven or eight new fissures appeared. The attendant urgently cried, "Commander, the green scale is about to break!"

Bai Ziqi looked at the purple-gold plate, sighed, and forcefully pried out the green scale. "Let's go," he said. There was no time left, so it was best to leave quickly before the main enemy forces arrived. Bai Ziqi had no intention of fighting a desperate battle with Ling Mountain on their home ground.

Fortunately, White Hair Mountain was vast. After the Heavenly Palace members left the pebble beach, they could then strategically eliminate airborne scouts and hidden forest creatures to evade the pursuers' detection. A day and a half later, they left White Hair Mountain without further incident, returning to the small town at the foot of the Carefree Sect's mountain.

"Head to Keshan," Bai Ziqi commanded, not resting but immediately ordering everyone to depart. The disturbance they created on White Hair Mountain was considerable; once the Carefree Sect fully reacted, they would likely blockade surrounding villages and towns and conduct thorough searches. With the green scale broken, their mission on White Hair Mountain was concluded. For the moment, Bai Ziqi's treasure chest contained no artifact more suitable for activating the Spirit Gathering Array than the Demon Emperor's green scale.

Their expedition was not entirely fruitless; at least they now knew that Master Qianhuan's lair—or rather, his cave dwelling—was located to the northeast. As for Master Qianhuan's modifications to the Grand Tiangang Array, Bai Ziqi always sensed a hidden mystery within them. He would need to spend more time carefully studying and pondering them.

One more thing: Who had taken the divine artifact from the core of the Spirit Gathering Array? Was it an accidental removal, or a deliberate act against Master Qianhuan? His successful experiment in activating the Spirit Gathering Array confirmed that this divine artifact was indeed linked to the fallen Dragon God.

Hmm, the Dragon God. This recent series of unusual events on the Glimmering Gold Plain seemed to be connected to the legendary Black Dragon Divine Venerable, and not just Emperor Jiuyou's self-proclaimed status. Strange phenomena were occurring frequently. Could the Dragon God truly have reincarnated? At this thought, Bai Ziqi couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

Upon returning to town, the divine attendant he had previously sent to Xuncheng to investigate clues was waiting for him. The attendant immediately presented a letter upon their meeting.

"Commander," the divine attendant began, "this letter details the people and events Nangong Yan was involved with in the ten days leading up to his death. We found someone who joined the Bo Kingdom's Feathered Guards just last year and was under Nangong Yan's command. Though not a confidant, he had a partial understanding of Nangong and the Feathered Guards' operations. He hadn't served long and had no known enemies, so after the fall of the Bo Kingdom, he remained in Xuncheng and opened a food shop."

Bai Ziqi took the letter and unfolded it, revealing densely packed writing. It seemed Nangong Yan had been a very busy man in his final days, with so many activities scheduled within ten days. Most entries detailed Nangong Yan's assignments for the Feathered Guards, with others mentioning palace audiences, assassinations, and interrogations.

Bai Ziqi quickly scanned the contents but recognized no names. "What events transpired on the day Nangong Yan was killed?" he asked.

"A crackdown on Mai Faction remnants," the divine attendant replied, having thoroughly questioned the Feathered Guard. "They cornered and killed over a dozen Mai Faction members in an inn in Xuncheng, leaving no survivors."

"The Mai Faction?"

"Mai Liansheng, a high official of the Bo Kingdom, was beheaded for treason by the King of Bo many years ago. Afterward, commoners in the Bo Kingdom often rebelled in Mai Liansheng's name, and Nangong Yan referred to them as the 'Mai Faction'," the attendant explained. "Those dozen Mai Faction members were formidable. The informant participated in the ambush and suffered severe injuries, and many other Feathered Guards were killed. The leader of that group also shouted that they were the Shadowfang Guards of the Mou Kingdom, and that Nangong Yan would pay a price for attacking them!"

"After that, Nangong Yan proceeded to the palace."

"The Shadowfang Guards? Nangong Yan killed Mou Kingdom's Shadowfang Guards?" Bai Ziqi's brows furrowed. "No wonder then. The Shadowfang Guards are the Mou Emperor's personal guards; the Mou Kingdom wouldn't tolerate such an affront. What happened next?"

"After leaving the Bo Royal Palace, Nangong Yan swiftly departed with a large force of elites, claiming there were still Mai Faction remnants at large," the attendant continued. "The informant, being severely injured, didn't join them, which is why he wasn't later found hanging on the city walls of Guancheng."

So, Nangong Yan went to pursue the fleeing Shadowfang Guards that day, only to be ambushed and killed outside Guancheng? In that case, it had no connection to Emperor Jiuyou.

Bai Ziqi was understandably disappointed, but he knew that investigations were rarely so straightforward or immediately conclusive. The attendant quietly asked, "Commander, where do we go now?" They had just caused significant casualties on White Hair Mountain, so this small town was not a safe place to linger.

After a moment's thought, Bai Ziqi replied, "Head northeast to track down Master Qianhuan, and we'll pass through Keshan on the way." Between the two objectives, Master Qianhuan was undoubtedly the more significant one, holding greater importance for the Heavenly Palace and the Celestial Gods. He could also continue his investigation into Emperor Jiuyou during this journey.

What he didn't know was that as they restocked their provisions in town, someone entering the tavern from outside happened to glance over, their eyes narrowing as they spotted him. However, the person concealed their reaction well, shifting their gaze after a single look. They proceeded to buy wine and cooked food, even exchanging a few casual words with the waiter.

Soon after, Bai Ziqi and his party boarded their carriages and swiftly set off eastward. The main street spanned little more than a hundred *zhang* from east to west. As Bai Ziqi's party left the town in the blink of an eye, the person behind them whistled, and a thrush landed from the shed roof. Pointing towards Bai Ziqi's carriage, he instructed, "Follow them, but be careful. Their spiritual senses are exceptionally keen." The thrush flapped its wings and took flight, discreetly trailing far behind Bai Ziqi's carriage.

After dispatching the bird demon to follow, the person immediately set off for the Carefree Sect to request an audience with Sect Leader Li. Sect Leader Li was receiving a report from the back mountain when he stepped out to meet him.

"Mr. Peng, was your journey smooth? You've arrived earlier than expected." The Carefree Sect's relationship with the Bo Kingdom had not been strong. However, after the Bo Kingdom's collapse and You Enguang's establishment of the Peng Kingdom, the Carefree Sect's partial involvement in the coup deepened its ties with the Mou Kingdom. Consequently, emissaries from Mou Kingdom either resided in Xuncheng or were stationed at the Carefree Sect. This Mr. Peng was one such guest from the Mou Kingdom. Sect Leader Li had been expecting his arrival but was surprised he had come over half a month ahead of schedule.

Mr. Peng, however, gravely asked, "Has something happened at White Hair Mountain?"

Sect Leader Li paused, startled. "Someone intruded, and they haven't been apprehended yet. How did Mr. Peng know?"

"Do you know their origin?"

Sect Leader Li looked somewhat ashamed. "They injured over thirty of my disciples, and even your nation's guards stationed on White Hair Mountain suffered casualties. We still lack information on the intruders, other than their ability to use tiny fire spirits to search the giant fern trees."

"Fire spirits? Did you manage to capture any?"

"We did, but they extinguished midway," Li replied. He turned and gave an order, and soon someone brought several square porcelain boxes. Upon opening them, they revealed grayish-white residue. "There were seven fire spirits in total, and after they extinguished, they turned into this semi-greasy substance."

"Candle oil and charcoal ash," Mr. Peng said, his face grave. "It truly is him!" Without waiting for Sect Leader Li to ask, he declared, "I just saw the unwelcome visitor in town. He's from the Heavenly Palace in Lingxu City."

Sect Leader Li's expression instantly changed. So, the disturbance on White Hair Mountain was caused by someone from the Heavenly Palace?

"I visited Lingxu City five years ago," Mr. Peng continued slowly. "The Heavenly Palace held a grand and unforgettable ceremony then. One of the principal hosts was the very person I just saw in Qinghe Town—Commander Bai Ziqi!"

Commander?! Wasn't that a high-ranking official of the Heavenly Palace? Sect Leader Li was greatly alarmed, hesitating a moment before asking, "Did he also come for the newly discovered array?" The Carefree Sect had been established for over a century and had occupied White Hair Mountain for just as long, yet only recently had they discovered a hidden array there. When and by whom was this array built? Sect Leader Li was keen to inquire, but the Mou Kingdom had always been tight-lipped, claiming it was an ancient secret not to be divulged to outsiders. Classified as an "outsider," Sect Leader Li refrained from pressing further, knowing his place.

"Most likely," Mr. Peng said quickly. "Otherwise, why would the Heavenly Palace send someone here, especially an expert of Commander Bai Ziqi's caliber? I recall you have a Golden-crowned Crane among your spirit birds; it's much faster than ordinary avian demons. I wish to borrow it to send an urgent message." He did not request Sect Leader Li to send people to pursue Commander Bai Ziqi. The Carefree Sect lacked the capability for such a pursuit.