Chapter 1564: He Xiao's Countermove

Even though Emperor Jiuyou had cleaned the scene after killing Xue Zongwu and Qi Yunsheng there, who could guarantee that no trace remained? Others might not discover it, but Bai Ziqi certainly could.

The Mirror grumbled, "If you had received this intelligence earlier, you could have made preparations. Now..."

Now, it was uncertain if it was too late.

Fifteen days! They had missed the most valuable fifteen days!

The Mirror posed the crucial question: "How will you locate him?"

How much had Bai Ziqi uncovered about Emperor Jiuyou?

Would he pose a threat to He Lingchuan?

However, Bai Ziqi moved through the vast Blazing Gold Plain as if invisible; who could uncover his movements?

"If he reaches Yao Kingdom, it will be difficult."

He had enjoyed smooth sailing in Tianshui City for several months, but Bai Ziqi's arrival exposed his long-standing vulnerability—

A lack of deep roots and local influence.

If this were in Julu Harbor, Peng Kingdom, or even Allied territories, He Lingchuan would have numerous ways to investigate Bai Ziqi.

However, in Yao Kingdom, this presented a significant challenge.

While discussing such a grave topic, He Lingchuan stood up and stretched, his bones cracking. He then shifted the conversation:

"But I imagine Chief Minister Bai is very busy; how could he arrive so swiftly?"

His words were calm and effectively soothed the Mirror, which also detected a hidden meaning: "Hmm? What do you mean?"

Wasn't Bai Ziqi currently preoccupied with tracking down Emperor Jiuyou?

"Fortunately, I had a trick up my sleeve," He Lingchuan murmured. "I wonder if Bai Ziqi fell into the trap?"

He had built the Yangshan Archipelago from the ground up and initiated the current situation on the Blazing Gold Plain. It could be said that He Lingchuan was constantly interacting with "people." Now, he managed tens of thousands, coordinating across regions, departments, and multiple groups.

Outsiders often assumed that once an organization was established and its rules and regulations were set, it would operate with machine-like precision, without error, and unfailingly implement its leader's will.

They also believed that any task could be completed effortlessly.

How naive.

In reality, organizational work was always riddled with unexpected oversights, inexplicable errors, and a myriad of strange problems. Sometimes, a sudden major crisis would erupt, leaving one dazed, disoriented, and questioning everything.

The more intricate the process, the more troubles arose.

The more personnel involved, the higher the chance of mistakes.

Any organization is run by people, and "people" are the most prone to complacency and error. The larger and more diverse the organization, the more difficult it became to coordinate and accomplish a single task effectively.

Ultimately, countless successes and failures hinged on individuals.

Therefore, when planning, it was crucial to avoid being too rigid. One must always allow for contingencies and ensure backward compatibility. This was an invaluable lesson He Lingchuan had learned through his experiences as a leader.

He had, therefore, created a contingency plan, setting a trap for any potential pursuers, a strategy he called "diverting trouble eastward."

He Lingchuan patted the medicinal ape's head. "Good Lingguang, stand guard for me. Don't let anyone in."

"Alright," Lingguang replied, leaping out the window to perch on the rooftop.

He Lingchuan closed the doors and windows, then carefully positioned the Soul-Absorbing Mirror against the wall.

"Open your mirror world."

As his words faded, a faint shimmer appeared on the wall, and a door materialized out of thin air, while the mirror vanished.

With a thought, black battle armor materialized and enveloped He Lingchuan's entire body.

He then took out the dragon-head mask and put it on, instantly transforming the gentle and benevolent Island Master He into the majestic and mysterious Emperor Jiuyou.

The next moment, he opened the door on the wall and stepped through.

A wave of heat immediately assailed him.

The space beyond the door was a vast chasm, with black rocky ground. Not far off, a crimson glow pulsed, more vibrant than blood. Hot, sulfurous air hissed from beneath his feet.

This place was either a purgatory or a volcanic crater.

He Lingchuan's voice, muffled by the mask, asked, "Does it have to be this dramatic?"

The Soul-Absorbing Mirror had accompanied him for many years, consuming countless rare treasures and streams of imperial essence. Its internal mirror world was now vastly different, capable of opening isolated pockets of space and small dimensions for his temporary use.

This particular function was precisely what he needed at that moment.

The Mirror's voice, exceptionally hollow, resonated from all directions: "You are the Lord of the Underworld; shouldn't your entrance be from a place of purgatory?"

Its master required an extravagant display to match such a status.

He Lingchuan sighed resignedly. "Where is it?"

"Right ahead, by the lava pool," the Mirror kindly prompted him. "Don't be afraid; the lava won't burn you."

The lava within the mirror world was indeed hot, but it wouldn't harm the realm's master.

He Lingchuan walked forward and, as expected, saw a wooden staff stuck beside the bubbling lava pool.

The staff was ancient, its shaft smoothed and darkened with age. The head was carved into a fierce human face with closed eyes and a pair of prominent teeth bared at the corners of its mouth.

He Lingchuan approached the staff, lit seven incense sticks before it, and quietly chanted a few words.

The incense smoke rose straight, and the wind ceased.

Then, He Lingchuan took out a Dragon-Punishing Pillar, unsealed its cap, and held it beneath the staff's head.

A wisp of red smoke emerged from the pillar, drifting away as if with a mind of its own, seemingly eager to escape from He Lingchuan and the wooden staff.

The first wisp successfully drifted off.

As the second wisp emerged, the human head carved into the staff performed an unexpected action:

As if rousing from a dream, it opened its mouth and took a deep, sudden breath, instantly drawing the red smoke into its maw!

Its expression clearly showed immense pleasure, like savoring a bowl of iced desserts on a sweltering summer day, or an old smoker, after three days of abstinence, finally tasting a chew of tobacco again.

Successive wisps of red smoke continued to emerge from the Dragon-Punishing Pillar, each instantly snatched and inhaled by the staff head.

The staff head still seemed unsatisfied, but He Lingchuan tightly sealed the pillar and took a step back.

The human head on the staff had opened its eyes and gazed steadily at He Lingchuan. "It's you again, Emperor Jiuyou! The gods of the Blazing Gold Plain are all asking about you."

"Let's make this quick," he said, knowing that summoning a god this way had a limited duration. "Lord Puyin, I heard that people from the Heavenly Palace sought you out?"

Before Emperor Jiuyou's last departure, he had taken the wooden staff from Puyin God's temple altar.

This staff, having received incense alongside Puyin God, was deeply connected to him and could serve as a communication tool.

Ordinarily, however, Puyin God couldn't track the staff's whereabouts because He Lingchuan kept it in the isolated mini-world within the Soul-Absorbing Mirror. It would only temporarily connect when He Lingchuan forcibly summoned Puyin God.

Before and after the havoc in the Heavenly Palace, the Soul-Absorbing Mirror wouldn't have been capable of this.

Clearly, the Mirror's years of, or rather, diligent cultivation had yielded significant results.

"Oh?" Puyin God asked, curious. "How do you know?"

Puyin God was surprised by Emperor Jiuyou's sudden summons; his immediate reaction was to extend his divine sense and ascertain their location.

To his surprise, he couldn't pinpoint it.

All he knew was that this place felt unlike the human realm.

"Where are you?" He looked around, but the human head's range of motion was limited; he could only see the glowing red lava pool to the side. "Is this a mini-world?"

If he could be summoned into a mini-world, then this fellow truly possessed some remarkable skill.

Emperor Jiuyou let out a soft chuckle.

Intelligence from Julu Harbor indicated that Bai Ziqi was heading to Shizhou Head and Liuping. The wild temple at Shizhou Head was likely a primary target for him, as Bayuan Village was right behind Shizhou Head, and Puyin God would most likely know of any disturbances there.

Emperor Jiuyou spoke once more:

"Did you tell Bai Ziqi about Master Qianhuan's formation?"

Puyin God stared intently at the Dragon-Punishing Pillar in his hand. "One more puff."

He Lingchuan stepped closer and allowed him another satisfying inhalation of nightmare energy.

"Ah—yes, I told him everything."

"And then?"

"He was very interested, asked for details from start to finish, and then left." Puyin God scrutinized the black-armored figure before him. Emperor Jiuyou himself had shared Master Qianhuan's secret with him; otherwise, how could he possibly know what transpired on Baimao Mountain, hundreds of miles away?

"You didn't disclose the source of this secret, did you?"

"Why would I say that?" Puyin God replied languidly. "The information you provided wasn't false, and Bai Ziqi was very interested. I exchanged it for several Dragon-Punishing Pillars, and the Spirit Void Assembly also has a chance to uncover Master Qianhuan. Isn't that a win-win for everyone?"

He couldn't let the Divine Realm know that Emperor Jiuyou and he had made a deal; otherwise, the repercussions would be severe.

Besides, both Emperor Jiuyou and Bai Ziqi were generous; why wouldn't he profit by getting Dragon-Punishing Pillars from both?

"Are you still hiding throughout the Divine Realm?"

"How do you know?" Puyin God retorted testily.

"The Kṣatriya Heavens and the Spirit Void gods clashed. You possess Dragon-Punishing Pillars and don't want to be cannon fodder." So, hiding to survive was his only option. "Do you have any other new information for me?"

"In about twenty days, an unprecedented flow of imperial essence will erupt."

Emperor Jiuyou replied, "I'm already aware of that."

"Then I suppose there's nothing else?"

"Why are the gods excavating immortal abodes?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Puyin God replied as if it were common knowledge. "After thousands of years of deadly rivalry, wouldn't they seize any chance to eliminate their opponents?"

"Anything else?" He Lingchuan always suspected the truth was more complex.

Puyin God shook his head.

"With a Dragon-Punishing Pillar, eliminating an immortal allows you to absorb immense nightmare energy!"

"And what else?"

"Nothing more."

He Lingchuan pressed, "Nothing, or you just don't know?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Puyin God seemed about to say more, but He Lingchuan reached out and extinguished the incense on the ground.

A small whirlwind immediately stirred at that spot.

As the incense died, the human head on the staff closed its eyes once more.

The conversation between man and god was over.

He Lingchuan looked around. "Where's the exit?"

"Inside the lava."

"I'm serious," the Mirror chirped. "Next time Emperor Jiuyou makes an appearance, how about bursting forth from a great lava gate? I can arrange it, complete with roaring flames behind you." It was thinking of a whole spectacle of sound and light effects.

He Lingchuan ignored it and jumped directly into the lava.

As expected, his vision flashed red, then black, and he found himself back in his study.

The Mirror spoke from his arms, its voice no longer echoing through the vast space. "Hey, about that last question, was Puyin God lying?"

"Even you could tell." Did it even need to be asked?